


Priceless

by Kairyn



Category: Marvel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Adopted Children, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Because of Reasons, Bottom Loki (Marvel), Bottom Tony Stark, Child Neglect, Consent Issues, Dirty Talk, Explicit Sexual Content, Gay Sex, Happy Ending, Implied/Referenced Drug Addiction, Kink Exploration, Kink Negotiation, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, Loki's A Prostitute So There's a Lot of Sex, M/M, Natasha Romanov Is a Good Bro, One Night Stands, Oral Sex, Parent Loki (Marvel), Parent-Child Relationship, Past Sexual Abuse, Prostate Massage, Prostitution, Protective Loki (Marvel), Protective Tony Stark, Rare Pairings, SHIELD Is An Escort Service Now, Sex Toys, Sexual Abuse, Sexual exploration, Slow Build, Switching, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tony Stark Has A Heart, Tony Stark Still Has Arc Reactor, Top Loki (Marvel), Top Tony Stark, and its funny, unpredictable updates
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-05
Updated: 2019-06-12
Packaged: 2019-07-07 11:03:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 29
Words: 108,015
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15906990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kairyn/pseuds/Kairyn
Summary: This is what you get when you read way too much FrostIron fics while watching Pretty Woman...Loki being the 'Pretty Woman' hooker of the title and Tony naturally playing the part of the rich business mogul.Edit- It has now grown beyond the confines of that movie to include dark mysterious pasts, a serial killer mystery, and other such side plots. Because my self control is lacking. Enjoy.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Self control.... I need it. Like seriously. I have way too many stories currently but yeah, lets go ahead and toss another on the pile... sigh

The knocking on the door was what woke him up. With a groan, Loki rolled over in bed to reach for his alarm clock. His bleary half-opened eyes made out the red lines on the clock face showing 4:12. Loki sighed, but the knocking on the door was back, so he forced himself to half-roll half-tumble out of bed. He grabbed up the pair of leather pants he'd worn the night before and haphazardly pulled them up even while he stumbled out of his bedroom. Loki kicked the obnoxiously blue and white flower patterned couch that came with the apartment as he passed by it but the figure with his head buried under some pillows didn't stir even a little bit. Loki grabbed a knife from the kitchen as he passed by and then opened the apartment door. He sighed at the sight of the fourteen-year-old standing there with his book bag slung over his shoulder. Loki didn't spot any marks on the boy's face or arms, which was at least a good thing. "Dad locked me out," the teen muttered.

"Probably drunk off his ass," Loki sighed again and reached over to push the thin braids back behind the kid's ear before putting a hand on his slightly too thin shoulder. "Come on," he said with a nod to the apartment.

The teen trudged into the apartment and dropped his book bag on the ground. "You have homework, Sleipnir?" Loki asked as he closed the door and put the knife back. Sleipnir shook his head. "Are you lying to me?" Loki asked. Sleipnir hesitated and glanced up at Loki with big dark eyes, but then shrugged. "Uh huh. Best get started on it then."

Sleipnir made a face but sat down at the rickety table and dragged his bag over to start rummaging around it in. Loki started up the coffee maker in the kitchen and went to the couch. He rolled his eyes at the half-buried figure and reached over to shake the one sleeping there by the shoulder. That earned him a grunt and a halfhearted attempt to swat his hand away. "Wake up, Peter," Loki ordered.

There was an indistinct grumble from under the pillow and blanket, and Loki sighed. "Wake up. I need you to watch Sleipnir," Loki said.

"I can look after myself," Sleipnir volunteered.

"Of course you can, Sleipnir, but Peter should be awake anyway," Loki replied. 

Sleipnir made a face. "He's only a year older than me," he grumbled as he flipped through one of his books.

Peter finally pushed himself up and yawned widely. His hair was a tousled mess and his eyes bloodshot. "When'd you get in last night?" Peter asked blearily. "You weren't when I fell asleep."

"You shouldn't wait up for me," Loki said instead of answering.

"If you'd let me help you-"

"Absolutely not," Loki snapped. "You're only fifteen!"

"You were doing it at fifteen!" Peter argued.

"And that's exactly why you're not!" Loki snarled. "You're a kid, and you should be in school."

Peter huffed and folded his arms. They'd had this argument about a hundred times ever since Loki had offered Peter a couch to crash on. Peter had run away from the foster house he'd been placed in after the car crash that killed his uncle and put his aunt into a coma that she still hadn't woken up from. Loki had caught Peter scaling the side of the building to get to an unlocked window, and while it was impressively bold, it was also incredibly stupid and dangerous. It had taken Loki a solid three weeks and a downpour to coax Peter into the apartment. "Pietro and Wanda work the street!" Peter argued.

"Pietro and Wanda don't live in my apartment!" Loki shot back. Not that Loki hadn't attempted to get the twins off the streets. But Pietro and Wanda only trusted each other and Loki wasn't even sure where they slept. Hell, Loki couldn't be sure of seeing them each week since they seemed to roam to wherever they wanted.

Peter huffed and glared off to the side. Sleipnir glanced between the two of them uneasily. He wasn't a fan of arguing although Sleipnir had to admit it was nice not to be the one being yelled at for once. "Today's Friday," Peter muttered.

"So?" Loki asked as he went to pour a mug of coffee and added several spoons of sugar to it.

"So... if you let me out this weekend, I'll go to school again Monday?" Peter offered.

Loki hesitated for a minute. Peter was insanely smart, and it was a real shame that he didn't go to school regularly anymore and Loki was continually looking for a way to get him to go back. But Loki also couldn't abide that particular bargain. He carried the mug of coffee over to the couch and handed it to Peter. "No dice, Pete."

Peter scowled even as he took the coffee. "But you need the money!"

"I manage," Loki replied evenly. "Now, Sleip... you see the terrible trio around?" Sleipnir shook his head. Loki sighed heavily at that. "Fantastic. I'm going to go get them. Stay here both of you." Peter was still scowling, but Sleipnir nodded in agreement. 

Loki didn't even bother pulling anything on over his bare chest as he left the apartment and went down the hall to a different door. He pounded on the door several times. "Boda! Boda, open up!" There was no answer and, after a long few minutes, Loki pounded on the door again. "Angrboda! Open up, damn it!" The door stayed closed even after that.

Another few minutes passed, and Loki reached for the knob. When the handle turned without a problem, he cursed aloud. "Can't even lock your door," he grumbled as he pushed the door open. The security chain wasn't even in place, so Loki had no trouble whatsoever getting into the apartment. One quick glance and he spotted Angrboda passed out on the couch with all her tools for getting high spread out on the coffee table. Loki scowled and didn't bother trying to wake the woman.

Instead, Loki went to the bedroom and opened the door. Three kids looked up immediately. The youngest, a little girl with half her face scarred from a burn lit up and reached for Loki. Loki couldn't help but smile back. "Hi there, beautiful," he said as he bent down to pick up the four-year-old. The two boys in the room looked up. Loki gave a quick glance over both of them to make sure they were alright. The oldest, Jormungundr, was unusually tall for his age and scrawny due to the speed that he'd gained height, and the middle of the three children, Fenris, had beautiful natural olive skin but his hair was shaggy and unkempt. "You two alright?" Loki asked, not seeing any marks but not going to take that at face value.

"Hungry," Fenris said.

"Mom didn't make anything for lunch..." Jory added in his soft voice. Jormungundr had a lisp that other children had teased him mercilessly for and so had grown quieter and quieter over the years.

Loki grunted in understanding. "Get your things," he ordered as he carried Hela into the main room of the apartment. He didn't put the girl down as he took an old past due bill and scribbled a note on the back of it. 'A, I have the kids. Don't come unless you're sober for once. -L' was clear enough and hopefully would convey to her how displeased he was to find her passed out with the kids not even having been fed. Again.

Jormungundr and Fenris came out of the bedroom with two bags. Loki held his hand out, and Fenris grabbed it instantly. Jormungundr walked behind as Loki led them back down the hall to his own apartment. Once they were back, Fenris ran over to jump onto the couch beside Peter while Jory went to the table and began pulling out several coloring books that he'd been half working on while watching his siblings as best he could. "Did you go to school today, Jory?" Loki asked as he locked the door to the apartment and then went to the kitchen to find something to make for dinner.

"No... Mom didn't make breakfast so I knew I shouldn't go..." he murmured.

Loki frowned at the news that Angrboda had apparently been out of it all day. At least he knew that the eight-year-old Jormungundr was able to make him and his siblings breakfast and reach up to snacks. Still, that wasn't exactly filling meals. Plus Hela could get finicky. And if Jormungundr hadn't gone to school that meant that the six-year-old Fenris hadn't either. Hela was only four, so her brothers wouldn't have left her alone with Angrboda drugged out of her mind.

"You going out tonight?" Sleipnir asked as Loki rummaged for something in his very barren kitchen. He really needed to go grocery shopping, he realized.

"Uh huh. You and Peter will be in charge," Loki answered as he found some cans of tuna fish. "There's cereal if I'm not home by morning. I'll go shopping before I get home," he added as he also managed to find a single box of Mac'n'Cheese. Not the stuff of a feast but it was infinitely better than letting the kids just starve.

Loki kept Hela on his hip as he quickly made up the Mac'n'Cheese and then added some condiments to the drained tuna. He also managed to find some bagels and, while that was hardly a typical way to eat tuna fish, it was better than trying to mix the tuna with cheese. So, the kids were quickly sat down with some tuna-bagel sandwiches and Mac'n'Cheese and eating before Loki headed into the bedroom.

Loki was able to shower and then fix his hair in under fifteen minutes. Loki pulled on a mesh shirt that had ripped at the neck ages ago and now would only stay up if it was hanging off one shoulder. Over that he put on a green tank top that was so worn it was practically see-through in several spots. Several necklaces went around Loki's neck, leather cuffs around his wrists, chunky rings that he wore more for defense than anything else and a long black coat was pulled on to cover his otherwise mostly exposed arms. Loki didn't bother closing the thin coat as he would most likely be taking it off several times tonight. Loki pulled his boots on and grabbed his wallet. He chained the depressingly thin bit of leather to his studded belt before shoving it in his back pocket. 

The kids looked up as Loki came out of his bedroom. "Usual rules apply," Loki said as he went around the apartment gathering a few last things. "Don't open the door for anyone, make sure the windows are locked, and listen to Peter and Sleipnir."

"Yes, Loki," Fenris said while Jormungundr nodded in agreement,

"Loki!" Hela called out with her arms out.

Loki went over and picked the four-year-old up to give her a hug. "I have to go out, Hela. But you'll see me after you wake up, alright?"

"No!" she said clinging to his neck.

Loki sighed but rubbed her back in an attempt to soothe her. "I have to go, Hela baby, but when I come home tomorrow morning you can take a nap with me, alright?" That was usually what ended up happening if the three kids were in Loki's house rather than Angrboda's. Loki would sleep most of the day and when it was time for Hela's nap she would curl up with Loki.

"Nooo, stay!" Hela ordered.

"I can't stay, baby," Loki said as he carefully pried the girl's hands off of him. "But I promise I'll be back," he said as he handed Hela off to Sleipnir, who happened to be closest. Hela looked about ready to start wailing, but Sleipnir started rocking and bouncing her in an effort to keep that from happening.

Loki did lean over to kiss her forehead before ruffling Fenris' head. "I'll be back," Loki said as he grabbed his keys.

"Stay safe," Peter said even though he still looked to be upset.

"Always," Loki agreed before leaving the kids in the apartment. At least two of them were teenagers so they should be able to handle most anything that could happen. Peter even knew that there was a secret stash of money if something happened. It wasn't a lot by any means (forty bucks wouldn't do a whole lot), but hopefully, that was enough for any emergencies that might occur while Loki was out.

The sky was still abnormally light out when Loki made his way onto the street, but it was quickly getting darker. Not too much darker since the neon on all the signs were lighting up to give everything an artificial daytime glow. Since he had a little bit of time before anyone might possibly be looking for him, Loki took a longer route to his usual spot. He was cutting through territory that Pietro and Wanda tended to work and since Loki hadn't seen them around in a while he thought he might stumble across the twins soon.

Sure enough after only a few streets, Loki spotted the nearly white hair of Pietro in an alley with his sister counting out money behind him where she was guarded. The haul she had from their pick-pocketing was hard to see due to Pietro and the dumpster she was half behind, but Loki guessed it was a pretty good amount. "You two alright?" Loki asked without getting too close. Pietro would whisk both of them off if he thought even for half a second that Loki was looking to steal from them.

"We're fine," Pietro replied. "We can take care of ourselves, you know."

Loki held his hands up. "I know. Just making sure," he said. "You don't need anything?"

Pietro narrowed his eyes. "No," he insisted.

"Alright. I'll see you two later," Loki said. He knew when to back off and the twins might be young, but they were not a pair that people should casually cross. Pietro was wicked fast and Wanda tricky to the extreme. Working together they were able to handle most anyone that might try to cause them trouble. Pietro continued to glare until Loki was out of sight but the older man didn't take it to heart. If he had been in that situation, he wouldn't have trusted him either. Loki was just glad to see that the two teenagers didn't look too much worse than they had the last time he'd spotted them.

By the time Loki made his way over to the street he usually hung out on it had grown fully dark and the kind of people he was looking for was bound to be out and about. "Hey, Loki," he was greeted as he turned to lean against his favorite light post. 

"Hi, Tasha," he answered.

The vibrant redhead in a skimpy blue dress made her way over to him and hooked one arm over his shoulder. "You look unhappy," Natasha stated with deceptive neutrality. 

"Don't try and play your hooker-therapist shtick on me, Natasha," Loki said without glancing at the redhead.

"No idea what you're talking about," she said as she used him for balance and adjusted her golden pump. Once she'd fixed it, Natasha straightened fully. "What happened? One of the kids?"

Loki glanced over at her finally. Though Natasha often got on Loki's nerves (they were a little too alike, he thought), he knew that she did very much care about the kids that Loki was taking care of. If it weren't for Natasha's living arrangements not allowing it, Loki was sure she would have taken in a few of the street brats herself. "Angrboda passed out sometime this morning. Hadn't fed her kids all day," Loki answered.

"Bitch," Natasha hissed. "You know you have to do something about that."

"What the hell am I supposed to do?" Loki asked back.

"Call child services and claim you're their father. Then you'll be granted custody," Natasha replied instantly. "Not like Angrboda is gonna argue with you. She has no idea who the hell she slept with."

Loki frowned but had to admit that other than the fact that _he_ knew it wasn't true, that wasn't all that far-fetched. "Yeah maybe..."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they thought you were their father," Natasha continued. "You take care of them more than their mother does. Hell, they probably see you more than they see their mother and you don't even live in the same apartment."

Loki sighed. "I know," he said. "I don't even know if she'd care if I took them or not."

"Probably wouldn't notice," Natasha said. "Crack heads don't tend to notice anything other than their drugs. You hear what happened to Lisa?"

"No, what?" Loki asked.

Natasha pulled out her phone and flipped to a news article. In big bold letters were the words 'Prostitute found shot in river' followed by a mug shot of Lisa looking far less than her best. "Figure it was her pimp," Natasha said as she put the phone away again.

"Probably," Loki agreed. "That's why I don't have one."

"Hey, I've been meaning to talk to you about that," Natasha said suddenly.

Loki cast Natasha a glare. "I'm not getting a pimp and neither should you. Bad enough you live in that godawful Red Room Hotel. I keep telling you to move out of there."

Natasha sighed, "I'm not talking a pimp. I met this lady who runs one of those fancy escort services... it's safer, the pay is better, and we can get enough money to move to a safer place. Out of Red Room for me and to a place with working heating for you."

"An escort," Loki repeated. "Are you serious? Whoever heard of a high-class male escort?"

"I'm sure it happens."

"What about your favorite customer?" Loki asked. "I doubt he'll be able to afford you if you become an escort."

Natasha frowned. "I'm sure that I could cut a few deals for special occasions. But come on, how can we pass up a chance like this? And it wouldn't be illegal. No more having to duck cops. Isn't that appealing?"

Loki sighed. "I suppose..."

"At least come and meet with the lady with me. What could it hurt?" Natasha asked.

"When are you meeting with her?" Loki asked.

"Two days from now," Natasha answered instantly. "They want to run blood tests and drug tests and all that fun stuff but apparently they do all that in-house. And even if you don't like it, free STD check. Bonus."

Loki rolled his eyes. "Alright alright, stop trying to be a saleswoman already. I'll go with you to the stupid meeting," he told her. Natasha grinned and kissed his cheek. Loki made a face and reached up to wipe the lipstick from his pale skin. "Thanks."

"You won't regret it," Natasha promised. "I'll pick you up in two days at noon."

"Right right," Loki said even as a very nice bright red sports car pulled over a little ahead of where they were standing. "How much you wanna bet he's here for you, Tasha?"

"Maybe he wants us both," she said as she straightened and fluffed her curls a bit.

Loki snorted. "Like I'm that lucky. Go get 'em, Tasha," he said.

Natasha gave him a wink and sauntered over to the car. Loki couldn't entirely stop from smiling as Natasha bent over at the passenger window to talk to whoever was inside. Even though Natasha drove Loki up the wall she was, unlike most others on the street, dependable and not utterly horrid to everyone else. Just kind of pushy and had a habit of worming secrets out of people when they'd really instead her not do that.

Since so few people would pick up Loki over Natasha when they were both standing right there, Loki was caught off guard when Natasha let out a sharp whistle. Loki couldn't help but blink and stare for a few heartbeats before pushing off the lamppost and pulling his coat off and hooking it over one arm, showing the meager covering on his top half more fully. Natasha met him only a few steps from the car. "He looks rich," Natasha said. "I'm kinda jealous."

"Oh shut up, you have ten times as many regulars as I do," Loki answered. "Bout time I got a rich one."

"Catty," Natasha comment. "Be safe."

"I'll call you," Loki promised.

Loki inclined his head and made his way to the car door to lean over. "Hey there. Looking for something specific are you?" he asked. The man behind the wheel wasn't what Loki would call a looker (although not ugly either. Fairly average), but Natasha was right that by the car and suit he was rich.

"Not me, my employer," the man said. "Get in."

Loki was mildly surprised but took it in stride. "Don't you want to know my prices? I'm not cheap."

"Good. Boss doesn't like cheap anything. Sex included," the driver said. "Like I said, get in."

There was just a moment of hesitation, but then Loki climbed into the car. Almost instantly the driver was pulling away from the curb. "So, this employer of yours... closet or kinky?"

"What?"

"Closet or kinky," Loki repeated as he let himself sink into the plush Italian leather. "I mean, he sends... you to come get a male hooker so either he's closeted or into some heavily kinky shit," Loki explained even though he fumbled slightly when he realized he had no idea this man's actual job.

"Perhaps it's both," the driver replied. "I just know that he said 'different' when I asked what sort of person I was to come out here looking for."

Loki couldn't quite help but snort. "Well, I am that," he muttered. He really hoped whatever guy he was being brought to was at least flexible enough to try out a guy otherwise this would be one hell of a waste of time.

"In case boss forgets to ask later, what are your rates?" the driver asked as he turned a corner and took off down another street.

"A hundred," Loki answer instantly.

"A night?" Driver asked.

Again Loki snorted. "Please, a hundred an hour," Loki corrected. "I told you, I'm not cheap."

The driver nodded a little but then didn't ask any further questions. Loki found himself a little unnerved by the lack of discussion. Usually, by this point, they'd have found a hotel or something and would be getting to business. But this driver was taking him well out of where Loki frequently roamed. The streets got cleaner and the storefronts classier. Fewer bars on windows and less clashing colors of neon. "Where are we going?" Loki finally asked as they came to a stop at a red light.

The driver pointed ahead. "Right there."

Loki raised an eyebrow and bent forward to better look at the building. He felt his jaw wanting to drop at the sight of the glimmering monolithic Stark Tower right down the road. "I... guess some exec at Stark Industries wants a late night booty call at the office?" Loki suggested.

"Something like that," the driver said even as the light turned green and he took off again. Loki was having second thoughts about this because he was pretty sure a business mogul like Tony Stark wouldn't like his underlings bringing prostitutes in for kinky office sex or whatever this was. Plus there were sure to be cameras right?

But Loki eased himself with the knowledge that _he_ was unlikely to get into trouble with Tony Stark about this although cops might be an issue. Then again, cops were always an issue. The driver pulled into an underground parking garage and found a spot right beside an elevator.

Loki got out and made sure his coat was with him even as the driver unlocked the elevator with a key. Loki was a little surprised a key was needed but got into the shiny and surprisingly plush elevator without argument. "So, am I going to have to call a cab back to my corner?" Loki asked purely to break the tension.

"I'll drive you back," the other man said.

"Oh, so gentlemanly," Loki couldn't help but sass.

"Well, it's unlikely you'll want to walk all the way back," the driver said.

Loki stared in surprise for a moment before he couldn't help but let out a laugh. "And here I was starting to think you had no sense of humor."

"Oh trust me, I have a sense of humor," the driver said.

Just then the elevator dinged. Loki was very surprised by that, judging by the time it took Loki didn't expect to have gone up that high but Loki knew how money worked and knew that the only execs who would have the money for something like this would be on a high-level floor. "I'll come and get you to take you home when you're done," the driver said as the door to the elevator slid open.

Loki was still a little bewildered but walked in despite that. He came up short almost immediately when he came face to face with a sleek modern penthouse full of what looked to be obscenely expensive things. "Mr. Stark will be right with you, sir," a voice said from nowhere.

_Holy shit._


	2. Chapter 2

"Please, make yourself comfortable, sir," the voice from nowhere said.

"Comfortable... right," Loki muttered as he tossed his coat over the back of one pristine couch. "Because that's easy to do..." The whole room felt almost too clean to the point that it felt unreal. The coffee table was a chrome and glass piece that wouldn't look out of place in an art show, and each of the low couches was almost blindingly white. Cream colored pillows streaked with red and some large paintings on the wall were the only real non-sterile looking parts of the grandiose living area. "So... who are you anyway? Some guard in a security room?" Loki asked as he wandered over to the gleaming white marble breakfast bar that separated the living area from a kitchen. The kitchen beyond was almost shockingly dark with rich woods and tiles compared to the bright whites of the living room.

"I am Jarvis. I run the household for Mr. Stark," the voice said.

"Butler then," Loki said as he poked at some silver trinket on the counter that was spinning itself by using a counterweight.

"I am an Artificial Intelligence created by Mr. Stark," Jarvis corrected.

Loki nodded absently (although he'd already put it out of his mind) as he slowly started to walk around the room, his eyes wandering over the expensive pieces of art and furniture. About half the living area was sunken down a step and, opposed to the dark stone floor in the rest of the room, the sunken area had a plush white carpet. "So... does Mr. Stark do this often?" Loki asked as he glanced at a very artistically wrought mirror hanging on the wall. He reached up and fixed the long hanging earring that was dangling from his right earlobe since the little metal Celtic knot charm had flipped at some point.

"Does Mr. Stark do what often, sir?" Jarvis asked as Loki fiddled with his earring another moment.

"Hire male prostitutes," Loki answered as he straightened the braid keeping the right side of his hair out of the way so that his earring was on display. The bit of jewelry hadn't always been in the form it was now (it had initially been a tie pin), but Loki liked to keep it as a reminder of other things, and it worked well as an earring.

"You would have the distinction of being first, sir," Jarvis told him as Loki pushed a stray bit of hair back behind his ear and then turned away.

"Oh goodie. I do love being first," Loki muttered before he continued around the room. Loki examined a large abstract painting on the wall made of a riot of every color that Loki could conceive. The paint seemed to have been splashed together entirely haphazardly, but there was somehow a weird sense of motion from the streaks -like if Loki kept looking at it for too long, he'd start falling or something.

Loki leaned closer to the painting and was able to make out a small signature in the bottom corner, D. Lewis, followed by the year the picture was apparently done. "A friend of a friend made that," a new voice said, and Loki turned.

The man that had entered was a bit on the short side with a groomed goatee and a fairly well-sculpted physique from what Loki could see through the surprisingly casual clothing he was wearing. Loki had expected a suit or at least a button up and slacks. Instead, Tony Stark (or Loki assumed that was who he was facing now) was wearing a Led Zepplin T-shirt that had a few small holes near the bottom hem and a pair of jeans that were faded and torn in several spots. "Well, I gotta hand it to Happy, when I told him 'different' he sure took that to heart," Stark said as he let his eyes move over Loki.

"Am I too different?" Loki asked as he let the billionaire check him out without complaint. His tight pants and mostly see-through tops were explicitly picked so that people could do that, after all.

Stark hummed. "Nah, I think we can come to an agreement. You look sexy enough," he said as he went to where a wet bar was installed into a nearby wall. Loki's eyebrow went up. Perhaps Jarvis wasn't being entirely honest about this being the first time Stark had done this. Or... perhaps he was overly exacting, and his creator (or whatever, Loki still didn't want to think about it too hard) had been with men just no male prostitutes. Either way, Loki decided to take it as a good sign that Stark could at least appreciate another man's appeal. "So, what do I call you?" Tony asked as he dropped several ice cubes in a glass.

"You can call me whatever you want," Loki answered as he casually sat back against the nearest couch in what he knew would be an alluring pose.

Tony turned to look at Loki. "I want to call you by your name," he said.

Loki stared for a moment, trying to figure out if Tony was serious or not. Most of Loki's customers would have been amused by that response nor would they actually want Loki's name. They couldn't care less what Loki's name was so long as he was putting out. Tony just kept looking at him expectantly. "... it's Loki."

"Well, Loki. I'm Tony," he said. "You wanna drink?"

"Uh, sure," Loki answered as Tony turned back to his bar. Loki had no idea what to make of Tony at all. He wasn't immediately pawing at Loki or anything like what Loki had come to expect from the very few richer men that would pick him up. "And I'm well aware of who you are... your face is kind of plastered all over the magazine stands at least once a month... usually more."

"Everyone loves me," Tony said as he poured something amber into two glasses.

Loki couldn't contain the snort. "Yeah, that's why they call you such pretty names," he said with false lightness. "Merchant of Death and all that."

Tony glanced over his shoulder at Loki for a moment before putting the topper on his decanter. "Well, I do manufacture weapons," Tony said as he turned and handed one glass to Loki. "Someone's got to do it. Might as well be the person who does it best."

"And from what I hear that is indeed you," Loki said as he took the offered glass. "But what can I do for you, Mr. Stark?"

"To be honest, not quite sure," Tony said as he walked over to sit down on one of the low couches. "I didn't really plan this. Sort of a whim. And I certainly wasn't expecting Happy to bring home, uh..." he gestured at Loki with his free hand.

"A man," Loki finished with some amusement.

"... yeah."

Loki smiled a little. "I think it might have something to do with your Happy's sense of humor," Loki said. "He let me think I was being smuggled in for one of your underlings to have sneaky, kinky, office sex or something."

"Now that would be fun," Tony said.

"I don't think it works quite the same if you're the boss," Loki told him before lifting his glass to take a sip of the alcohol he'd been given. It was perhaps the smoothest whiskey that he'd ever tasted, and it left a very nice tingle all the way down his throat. "Wow. Nice stuff."

Tony shrugged. "I like nice stuff."

Silence fell between the two of them for a few moments before Loki got up and moved to where Tony was sitting. Loki used his arm on the back of the couch to rest his head on while his foot found a comfortable spot to rest on that gleaming coffee table. The position was carefully chosen to be provocative since it left his lap (and thereby pants) within easy access. "So, have you ever been with another man before?"

"No," Tony said. "Although, I have watched some porn of it," he added before lifting his glass.

"Oh?" Loki was a bit intrigued now. "And how did you like it? Anything specific catch your attention?"

Tony seemed to think on that for a few moments, so Loki took another drink of his probably insanely expensive whiskey. "It was pretty hot, I guess. Porn sort of doesn't do a whole lot for me. Rather be doing it myself, ya know?"

Loki studied the billionaire in front of him and nodded. "Yeah, I can imagine you being the sort to prefer a live show over recordings. But you didn't answer if anything specific caught your eye."

Tony shrugged. "I didn't get that far into it, honestly. But I gotta admit, watching a guy writhe in another guy's lap was kind of... fascinating."

"Fascinating," Loki echoed with amusement. "I think you mean erotic."

"Whatever word you wanna use," Tony replied with a hand wave. "Anyway, I wanted to ask you. When's the last time you ate?"

Loki was entirely thrown off balance by the question. "Uh, what?"

"When did you last eat? You're skinny as hell," Tony said pointing to Loki's midsection almost accusingly.

"I am not skinny... I'm svelte," Loki protested.

Tony looked unimpressed. "So... you last ate, when again?"

"... yesterday," Loki muttered. "But don't worry your pretty head, I've got plenty of energy to burn."

"Yeah, not so concerned about that right now," Tony said before tilting his head upwards slightly. "Jarvis buddy, order up me and Loki here some grub would ya?"

Loki frowned even while Jarvis agreed to do so. "You know, that's not really necessary," he said. Eating dinner with a John (even one like Tony Stark) made it seem more personal, and Loki wasn't sure how to take that. Getting personal with someone was the first mistake that often led to people in his profession ending up in heaps of trouble.

"Humor me," Tony said before throwing back the remainder of his drink and getting up. "Want more?"

Loki looked down at his only half drank glass. "I'm good for now."

Tony shrugged and went back to his bar to refill his drink. "Uh, not to tell you how to spend your money or anything but I do charge by the hour," Loki reminded him. He didn't want to get yelled at for an unexpectedly high bill. It wasn't as if Loki could go to the police to complain if someone stiffed him.

Tony paused in the middle of his pouring to look back over at Loki still on the couch. "Mm, good point. We should handle that," Tony said before turning back to the bar.

"Thank you," Loki muttered. Loki put down his glass on the table even as he reached for his wallet with his free hand. He supposed the tabloids were right when they called Tony Stark eccentric. He just hadn't quite known that in this case eccentric apparently meant being weirdly... not John-like to hookers. As Tony came back with his refilled drink, Loki held up the small bits of foil he'd retrieved from the otherwise empty cash slot of his wallet. "I've got at least one of every size and even flavored ones if you're feeling particularly adventurous."

"How much for the whole night?" Tony asked, entirely ignoring the condoms in front of him.

Loki frowned, utterly confused. "What?"

"You were worried about the time you were spending here, so how much for the whole night?" Tony repeated as he brought his glass back up.

Loki let out a little laugh, but it died as soon as he saw that (quite impossibly) Tony was serious. "You don't want to spend that much money, Mr. Stark," Loki told him.

"I decide what I spend my money on, thanks," Tony said. "Come on, tell me."

"A grand," Loki threw out impulsively, not really thinking that Stark would want to spend anything like that on someone quite literally picked up off a street corner.

"Done," Tony said without a second of hesitation.

Loki was left staring at the other man for a long minute. It must be very nice to be able to toss a grand away so easily, Loki thought distantly. "... okay then," he said before reaching for his drink and tossing it back. "Holy shit..."

Tony grinned widely. "Can we have dinner now?"

"Yeah... if you want," Loki agreed. If Stark was going to pay him a thousand dollars to just sit and have dinner, well, who was Loki to complain?

"So, do you always pull out a Rolodex of condoms at the drop of a hat?" Tony asked while still looking far too amused. Tony had apparently brought the bottle over to the couch with him because Loki watched as the billionaire refilled the glass Loki was holding.

Loki took another sip from his refreshed drink, still bewildered that the night was apparently going to be a windfall of a whole grand. "Even you would balk at the obscene amount of money it would cost to have me bareback, Stark."

"I happen to like spending obscene amounts of money," Tony replied rakishly.

"Yeah... I think I've caught onto that..." Loki muttered. He was going to be a bit more careful with the numbers he threw out from now on around Tony. He didn't want to be accidentally agreeing to do something for ridiculous sums of money around someone who actually _could pay_ those said insane sums. Loki would be joking, and Tony could easily take it seriously.

Tony chuckled some and took another drink from his glass. "So, why don't you tell me why you haven't eaten since yesterday?"

"Haven't had a chance is all," Loki replied.

Tony hummed at that. "Yeah, okay, I'll pretend I buy that, and you can pretend to believe me. Deal?"

Loki sighed. "Listen... I appreciate the whole... nice guy routine, but it's really not needed."

"Maybe it's not a routine, you ever think of that?" Tony asked.

"Ah, I didn't mean to imply you weren't a nice guy," Loki backtracked. The last thing he wanted was to upset the man paying him. That was a one-way ticket to a horrible time. "It's just that most people... aren't. Not to people like me anyway."

"Well, that sucks," Tony said. "But you'll figure out pretty quick that I'm not like 'most people.' I actually strive to be not like most people. Being like that would be just way too boring."

"Hence the someone 'different' order?" Loki asked.

"Something like that. There's only so many blonde reporters you can sleep with before they grow so predictable," Tony said.

"Ah, being boring... the worst crime in the world," Loki said only half joking. Loki did hate monotony -luckily, (or perhaps not) his lifestyle really didn't allow for monotony of any sort.

Tony smiled and lifted his glass. "You ain't kidding there," he murmured before taking a long drink. "I hope you're not boring."

"Babe, I'm the furthest from boring," Loki said, finally able to settle back into his more normal work persona with the leading question. He'd heard that exact same question about a hundred times.

"Mm, not liking the 'babe' nickname," Tony mused.

Loki hummed. "Well, let's see... I am a sort of employee, so I guess I could call you Mr. Stark. But I don't think it's really doing it for me. A little too impersonal everything considered."

"You could just call me Tony," Stark offered. "I'm cool with it."

"Tony it is... at least until I think of something better," Loki said. Just then there was a ding of the elevator. "Ah, must be that dinner you ordered. I'll get it," Loki said quickly while jumping up, all before Tony could even fully rise. "Might as well make myself useful."

Loki got over to the elevator just as a man wearing a security guard uniform walked in with a large bag in his hand. "Hey," Loki greeted. He couldn't help but grin at the wide eyes on the guard. Loki paused as the guard looked Loki up and down. "I think you have our dinner," Loki said with a come-hither motion with one finger.

"U-uh, right," the guard said handing the bag over.

Loki was incredibly amused as he took the bag. "Thanks," he said as he turned and sauntered back over to the couch. Tony had an eyebrow raised. "What?" A moment later the elevator dinged again indicating the guard had left. "I couldn't resist."

"You're so naughty," Tony said with a laugh.

Loki smirked and sat down on the couch. "It's one of the best ways to be," Loki said as Tony took the bag and opened it up to look in. "What's for dinner, anyway?"

"Some of the best burgers in the city," Tony said as he handed a thick lump wrapped in a slightly stained white paper over. "There's fries in here too. Jarvis didn't bother with drinks though since we already have those."

"Ah, I see. Way to a man's heart is through greasy food?" Loki guessed as he unwrapped the burger he'd been given and eyed the incredibly thick patty. Already sauce was trying to ooze out from under the bun. "Because this indeed looks very greasy."

"Well, beautiful, they aren't worth killing the cow for if they aren't going to be greasy," Tony said as he unwrapped his own burger.

Loki chuckled. "Eating this thing on this couch makes me incredibly nervous, you know," he said.

"Don't worry about the couches," Tony said. "I'm not the one that picked them. And even if you do mess them up the bots can clean almost anything."

"The bots?" Loki asked.

Tony nodded and waved with his hand. There was a whirring noise, and Loki looked over at the wall. A small door opened up, and Loki watched in surprise as a little Roomba-like device rolled out. "My, my... AI and Robotics? I feel distinctly ill-matched suddenly."

"Well, I am a genius," Tony said while picking up his glass with his free hand. "But these little guys aren't that tough to make. There's about fifty of them, and they clean the whole tower."

The robot beeped several times and then spun around in place. Loki chuckled. "That 'little guy' just reacted to being talked about so don't feed me a line about how they aren't that tough to make. You might be a genius, but I'm not stupid either. That is a lot more than a garden variety automated vacuum."

Tony's eyebrow went up. "Alright, so maybe I added a few bells and whistles," he conceded. "Kinda surprised you'd notice... most people wouldn't."

"I didn't drop out of school because I couldn't hack the curriculum," Loki said as he wiped the corner of his mouth with his thumb.

"I've been meaning to ask... the accent. What gives?" Tony asked.

Loki gave a single awkward laugh. "I'm not actually from New York originally," Loki answered. "Although more than that you'll not be getting. You understand."

Tony nodded. "Yeah, I understand. It is a sexy accent, though so I'll take the mystery that comes with it," he said. "How's your burger?"

"It's good. Where exactly is this from?" Loki asked.

"A place called Manny's," Tony said. "Been going there for years. Like I said. Best burgers in the city."

Loki couldn't help but agree. "I almost shudder to think just how much this thing cost."

Tony waved his hand off to the side. "It's worth it." Loki decided it was probably best not to argue that. He wouldn't have spent so much as he was assuming that Tony spent on just one burger, but he was also not the one paying for it.

Loki hated to admit he'd been hungrier than he'd let on and once he had actual food, he finished it very quickly. Luckily, Tony also seemed pretty hungry and finished only a few minutes after Loki did. They chatted a little bit but not about anything overtly personal or heavy. Loki was actually a little surprised at how easy Tony was to chat with considering how little Loki usually talked with men in Tony's social circle.

"Now that we're finished with dinner... what _are_ we going to do?" Loki asked as Tony tossed the takeout bag onto the coffee table without a care.

"I can think of a few things," Tony said.

Loki smiled and shifted closer. "So... tell me, Tony, what do you have in mind?" he asked as he ran a hand up Tony's leg towards the fly of his jeans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry to blue-ball ya'll promise next chapter will be a whole lot more fun.


	3. Chapter 3

"What do you do?" Tony asked as Loki leaned closer.

"I do everything except kiss on the mouth," Loki answered as his hand moved up to push Tony's T-shirt up out of the way. "There are better uses for my lips."

"Is that so?"

Loki hummed by way of agreement and bent down to press a kiss to Tony's abdomen. He trailed kisses aimlessly across the warm tanned skin even as his hands found the front of Tony's jeans to start undoing them. Loki was an expert at undoing pants, so it only took him a moment to have Tony's fly fully undone and to carefully pull Tony's cock free of his boxers. Loki glanced up at Tony through his lashes, but the billionaire was just sitting there watching, although the look in his eyes told Loki that Tony was definitely feeling the heat. Tony sipped some of his drink even as Loki used one hand to stroke Tony's steadily hardening length. Loki used his tongue to follow the trail of dark hair down Tony's lower abdomen towards his groin and then blew cool air over the moisture.

Tony shivered, and Loki felt the cock he was slowly stroking getting fuller and heavier. "Tell me what you like," Loki murmured as he moved even further down to press an open-mouthed kiss to the base of Tony's manhood. "Don't be shy. This is to make you feel good," Loki said as he continued to slowly rub and stroke Tony's length with one hand.

"I just want to see what you can do," Tony replied as Loki pressed several more kisses to the side of his erection.

Loki hummed and turned his attention from Tony's face to examining the cock right beside his face and in his hand. "Really?" he asked before moving his hand up to rub his thumb across Tony's head. "Because a nice looking dick like this usually has preferences," Loki murmured. He felt Tony shiver beneath his hand and smiled. Was that it then? Tony liked a bit of dirty talk? Well, Loki was quite good at that sort of thing. "Mm, let's see, you really are gifted. I'll bet you make all your partners satisfied with a cock like this. It's so thick and long..." Loki said as he gave Tony another stroke.

The billionaire let out a low sound, but Loki ignored it for the moment. "You seem like the type to know how to use it too," Loki said. "You do don't you? You use this beautiful, big cock of yours to wreck pretty little things? Pound them into your mattress over and over until they scream how great you are? You don't seem the type to do things halfway, so I'm thinking I'm right." Loki pressed another kiss a little higher on Tony's length. He looked up at Tony's face and was pleased to see the billionaire was definitely reacting. He looked flushed now, and his length was very hard under Loki's kiss. "Are you going to pound me with it too?" Loki asked innocently.

Tony let out a groan. "Fuck yes."

Loki let himself smirk. "You like it hard don't you?" Loki asked as his finger rubbed the tip of Tony's cock where the liquid was beginning to build. "Hard and fast... hard enough to make your fancy bed make noise?"

"You'll see," Tony said as he took an almost aggressive swig of his drink.

"Oh, I will," Loki agreed. "But first..." Loki licked a long slow line up the side of Tony's length. Tony groaned again. "I wanna taste this beauty. You want that too don't you? For me to wrap my mouth around your cock and taste every inch of you?"

Tony finally moved his free hand over to grab the back of Loki's head. "You learn fast," he said as he guided Loki's mouth closer.

"I gotta be a fast learner. But since you've been so patient... I'll give you the best blow you've ever had," Loki promised before the head of Tony's penis was pushing past his lips. Not that Loki wasn't expecting it. If anything he was impressed that Tony hadn't rammed his head down. Loki turned all of his attention to the task in front of him and swiped his tongue across Tony's slit even as his hand stroked what he hadn't yet gotten into his mouth for even more pleasure.

Loki adjusted how he was kneeling on the floor to better balance himself before starting to bob his head over Tony's lap and suck on his cock. Tony groaned and gently but firmly urged Loki on with the hand still on the back of his head. Not that Loki needed urging. Loki pulled more of Tony's jeans down even as he swirled his tongue. He heard Tony curse softly and sucked harder to make the billionaire say another. Pre was steadily flowing into Loki's mouth as he slid more and more cock past his lips.

"Shit, how much can you take?" Tony asked.

Loki pulled back to look up at the other man. "You wanna see?" Loki asked while stroking Tony's wet cock with one hand. Tony stared for a brief moment before nodding and Loki gave him a smirk. "Well then, hold on. You're about to get something special."

Tony's eyes widened, but Loki didn't allow him a chance to think on that very much before opening his mouth wide and swallowing Tony's cock. Loki closed his eyes even as he slowly took more and more into his mouth. He could hear Tony panting also as Loki relaxed his throat as much as he could and adjusted his position so that he could lower his head even further. Loki had trained his gag reflex out of himself, so he was able to slide even more in until his nose was buried in the short dark curls at the base of Tony's impressive cock. "Holy shit," Tony breathed, tightening his grip on Loki's hair.

Loki pulled back a little but then swallowed him fully again. He would have done it again, but Tony pressed his head down gently but firmly. Tony said something that Loki didn't really hear before starting to rock his hips up into Loki's mouth. Loki did his best to oblige and sucked as best he could while Tony fucked his throat. Tony pushed Loki's head down even further as he thrust up with his hips. Loki choked at the motion and Tony quickly pulled back. Loki was able to pull up enough to breathe again and glanced up at Tony. The billionaire looked a little apologetic, so Loki took his hand and replaced it on the back of his head. Loki just hadn't been expecting it.

"You sure?" Tony asked even as his fingers wound in Loki's hair.

Loki hummed and pressed forward again. Tony hesitated still, but then figured that Loki of all people would know his limits, and started rocking his hips up into Loki's face. Loki was better prepared and worked his tongue against the sensitive underside of Tony's cock while swallowing his length into his throat over and over again.

Loki pulled back a little every few thrusts to better breathe but then went right back down to swallow every inch of Tony's manhood. "Damn, do you even have a gag reflex?" Tony asked even as he lifted his hips yet again. Loki couldn't exactly answer with his mouth and throat full of cock so just sucked hard around his mouthful instead. Tony cursed again and thrust up.

Loki took each thrust with a bit of difficulty but his years of practice allowed him to manage. Although the not quite sufficient ability to breathe was becoming a problem. Loki put a hand to Tony's on the back of his head and started to pull back. Tony seemed to understand and allowed it although he was panting and red-faced when Loki looked up. Loki dragged his tongue along Tony's cock as he pulled his head away. "You like my throat," Loki said even though his voice was a bit husky from swallowing Tony's cock over and over.

"Never had anyone do that before," Tony said. "You okay?"

Loki hummed and leaned forward to lick the fluid off of Tony's tip. "Your cock tastes good, Tony," he said. "Are you close?" Loki asked even though he sort of guessed that he was. "You taste close."

Tony didn't have a chance to respond when Loki wrapped his lips around his head and started sucking. Loki's hand stroked the wet length beneath his lips as Tony groaned and moaned in pleasure. Loki started bobbing his head again while sucking hard, making sure that Tony made even more of those noises that said he was enjoying himself.

More and more precum was flooding Loki's mouth, but he didn't particularly care and sucked it away before swallowing it down. Tony's hand came back to Loki's head and tangled in the black strands there as Loki worked his mouth faster than before. Tony cursed and let his hips jerk again, which Loki accepted in stride. Loki used his very skilled tongue to find all the most sensitive spots on Tony's length and tease them mercilessly.

Loki was suddenly pulled off of Tony's cock by the grip in his hair. "Hold on, Loki. I don't want to end this so soon," Tony panted with his face flushed from pleasure.

Loki smirked a little as he kept running his fingers over Tony's wet length. "Sweetheart, you have me all night," Loki pointed out. "I promise, you'll get more than a single blow from me."

Tony studied Loki's face for a moment before nodding and letting go of Loki's hair, allowing the taller man to go back to energetically sucking him off. Loki was vaguely aware of Tony's noises as he lowered his head and dragged his lips back up over the taut skin. Tony groaned again. Loki focused all of his attention on doing everything he could to drive Tony closer and closer to his climax. Every flick of his tongue and every gentle scrape of his teeth were meant to tease Tony even more. Loki's hair was half hanging in his face even as he sucked like his life depended on it.

Loki heard Tony say something about cumming and sucked even harder. Tony's grip on the back of his head got tighter, but Loki just swirled his tongue around the sensitive head of Tony's cock. After another moment of attention, Tony cried out louder than ever, and Loki's mouth was flooded with Tony's release.

Loki pulled back and reached for his glass and spat the other man's seed into it. Tony was panting and red-faced where he was slumped on the couch. Loki reached up to wipe his mouth and chin with his free hand as he put his glass back down on the coffee table. "You seem to like that," Loki said as he grabbed the whiskey and poured himself a fresh drink into Tony's glass. He quickly rinsed his mouth and then drank it down before pouring Tony some. "You gonna be alright?"

Tony opened his eyes to look at Loki and gave a thumbs up. "I'm more than alright... your mouth is Godly," Tony told him.

"That's me. God of blowjobs," Loki said as he handed Tony his drink. "You look like you need a minute."

After downing his drink, Tony gestured to Loki. "How about you lose some of those clothes? I feel at a bit of a disadvantage here."

Loki considered that for a moment before nodding and pulling off both of his tops at once to expose his full chest. Tony hummed. "I thought I spotted tattoos. They mean anything?" the billionaire asked as he reached over to brush his fingers over the spiraling snake coils that went down his right ribs and disappeared onto his back where the rest of his tattoos were primarily located.

"They do," Loki said. "But I doubt you want to get into it," he added as he stood up and slowly undid his pants. 

Tony let the subject of the tattoos go as he watched with rapt attention as Loki slowly pushed his pants off his bony hips. Loki didn't bother with underwear as it only ever got in his way so as he stepped out of his shoes and pants he was left fully naked in the middle of Tony Stark's penthouse. Tony's eyes practically devoured Loki's nude form, and the taller man smirked a little. "Like what you see, Tony?"

"I do," Tony agreed before gesturing with one hand for Loki to turn.

Somewhat amused, Loki did as he was told and turned around in a slow circle so that Tony could see all of him. "Yeah... yeah, I like what I see," Tony said before downing his drink. "You say you do everything?"

Loki felt just a small jolt of discomfort at the question but acted as if he didn't and just nodded. He would do anything for the right price, but there were definitely things he really didn't _want_ to do. Tony hummed and got to his feet although he had to hold his jeans up with one hand. "Let's go to my room then," he said with a jerk of his head.

Loki grabbed his condoms from where they had been put earlier and followed along behind the billionaire. He wondered just what sort of things got Tony Stark hot and bothered -besides dirty talk apparently.

When they reached the bedroom, Tony went to put the alcohol he had brought with him on the side table. Loki eyed the large room for a moment, taking in the darker more masculine colors and the very welcoming looking bed. Through one door Loki could make out the marble tiles of a bathroom. Tony gestured to the bed as he finished shedding his clothes. "Go ahead and lay down."

Loki climbed onto the bed and relished how soft the mattress was and how crisp and silky the sheets were. He only allowed himself a moment of indulgence before he fully laid down among the pillows and plush comforter. "Well, Tony? What do you want?" Loki asked as he watched Tony rummage around in a side drawer.

"To fuck you senseless," Tony answered as he pulled out a container of lube. "But I told you I've never done this before... so you should probably get yourself ready. I'll watch," Tony said as he handed the lube over.

Loki hummed a little as he took the bottle. "You seem to like watching me do things," he said as he popped the lid off the bottle and poured some of the slick lube into his hand.

Tony shrugged and sat down on the side of the bed. "What can I say? You're sexy, and you have this way you move... but this is more for practical purposes," Tony said as he watched Loki spread his long pale thighs. "I don't want to mess up on something this important."

"I would be fine even if you did," Loki argued.

"That's not the point," Tony replied. "I want it done right."

Loki studied the billionaire for a moment but then nodded. If Tony were going to insist on it, Loki would be crazy to try and change his mind. Instead, Loki spread his legs further and lowered his lube covered fingers between them. Loki had had plenty of customers who liked to watch him do things like this, so he didn't hesitate to press inside his own hole. He was well accustomed to sex, so he was able to slide two fingers inside with the help of the lube before he started fingering himself.

Tony watched with rapt attention as Loki's fingers pumped and spread the lubricant with his fingers while also working his muscles even looser. The intensity of Tony's gaze was actually a little unsettling despite what Loki was expecting, but he didn't protest it and just kept working his fingers deeper and faster. The lubricant was definitely high quality as it didn't dry up and spread easily as Loki pushed his fingers in as deep as he could. He tried to not pay attention to how Tony was staring at Loki's hand as it moved but it was very hard. Loki ended up closing his eyes to focus only on spreading his hole wider for what he knew would be coming.

The stimulation was starting to get to Loki, but he buried that reaction as best he could to focus instead on sliding a slickened third finger to the other two that he was already using. Loki shifted his hips to become more comfortable even as he pushed at his muscles to force them to relent. The excess lube was dripping down from his hole and probably making his skin all shiny, but Loki would much rather have too much than not enough.

"Do you like fingering yourself?" Tony asked suddenly as he brought his drink up.

"W-what?" Loki asked, slightly too distracted by what he was doing although he did open his eyes.

"Your face is getting red," Tony observed. "Looks like you enjoy fingering yourself. Or is that just because I'm watching?"

Loki scoffed. "Don't be ridiculous."

Tony's eyebrow went up, and he reached over to catch Loki's leather-wrapped wrist. Loki was too surprised to stop him from pulling his hand away and exposing his semi-hard cock. "Looks like you're enjoying it to me," Tony said before putting his drink down and moving more fully onto the bed.

"What are you doing?" Loki asked.

"Well, I wanted to learn. I saw what you were doing so best to try it myself now," Tony said as he grabbed the lube from where Loki had dropped it. "Don't worry. I'm a quick study," he said with a grin as he poured some more of the clear liquid onto his hand and then pushed two of his own fingers into Loki's already very slick hole. Loki couldn't quite help but gasp. Tony's fingers were thicker and calloused although the lube helped with that.

Tony didn't give Loki much chance to protest -not that he would have- and started thrusting his fingers deep inside of Loki's backside. Loki gasped at the very different pace and force from what he had been using. Tony leaned forward and started kissing over Loki's neck and shoulder even as his fingers kept thrusting faster inside Loki's body. Loki had to cling to Tony's free arm, and the bedding as Tony used his whole arm it felt like to get his fingers as deep as possible as many times per second as possible.

Soon enough Loki was having trouble staying still as Tony's work hardened fingers rubbed against all of Loki's tender insides. Loki's length was quickly getting fully erect, but it was ignored for the time being. Tony sucked hard on Loki's neck and bit down, no doubt leaving a dark mark there later. Loki grit his teeth as Tony worked a thick third finger inside of his hole and started working all three digits. Loki was stretched wider than he would have been with his own hand, but the lube helped take away some of the discomforts such a stretch caused. Of course, Tony was very liberal with the lube considering Loki had already used more than enough, so each and every thrust of Tony's hand made a wet noise and caused more to escape Loki's backside.

Loki felt Tony sucking on his neck in a different spot and tilted his head to the side to allow it. Tony slowly moved up Loki's pale skin in direct contrast to how fast his hand was moving. Loki felt he couldn't breathe properly from how hot his body was feeling and how many gasps Tony was making escape. Tony had been right that he was a fast learner. Loki was sure he was ready for more although Tony either didn't realize it or didn't care. "Now," Tony breathed against Loki's ear. "If I remember anatomy right... there should be a spot right about..."

Loki gasped even louder than before as Tony's finger curled just right during the latest thrust to press against his prostate. "There," Tony finished, and Loki could _feel_ the grin. Tony paused in thrusting his fingers to start rubbing over that spot and Loki couldn't stop the moan it caused. That wasn't at all fair! Tony just chuckled and pressed harder and made Loki cry out even louder. Loki's cock was now fully hard and leaking between their two bodies as Tony mercilessly pressed and rubbed over Loki's prostate. "I was hoping that would get you loud. You have a really sexy voice. I like hearing it," Tony said huskily as he massaged that spot even more.

"T-tony! Stop!" Loki gasped. "If you keep doing that-"

"I don't care. I like hearing you too much," Tony said as he began to slowly thrust his fingers again although he didn't let up on prodding and stroking the sensitive gland deep inside Loki's body.

Loki clung tighter to Tony's arm even as the constant attention to such a nerve sensitive part of his anatomy made a ball of tension wind up tightly in his abdomen. Tony's cock was hot and heavy pressed against Loki's parted thigh, but the billionaire didn't make any move to attend to his own pleasure and just continued to work Loki up even more. "That's right," Tony breathed against Loki's ear. "Moan louder for me."

Loki couldn't have stopped from doing so if he had been trying to and squirmed a little under Tony's body. If Loki weren't being driven by how close he was to his own climax, he might have felt a bit embarrassed by how he rocked his hips against Tony's hand but he just couldn't. "T-tony!"

Tony pressed harder into that spot with far too much precision, and Loki felt the coil that had been tightening the whole time just snap. He let out a bit of a shout as he came all over himself and Tony. Loki's whole body spasmed from the aftershocks -even grasping Tony's fingers tightly a few times before relaxing again. Loki had to pant for air since he had been caught off guard by everything that Tony had just done.

Loki watched as Tony straightened with a triumphant grin and then discarded the remainder of his now soiled clothes. "Took longer than I thought it would but I guess you're not easy," he said with distinctly smug satisfaction that made Loki want to hit him. He didn't because Loki wouldn't do that unless the client specified he wanted that, but the urge was definitely there. "You need a breather or are you good?" Tony asked as he palmed his renewed erection. "Because all those noises you were making were hot."

"I'm fine," Loki told him and parted his thighs further. "Condoms are beside you."

Tony nodded and pushed a few bits of foil around until he found one he liked. He quickly ripped it open and was rolling the latex onto his cock. "You ready?" Tony asked as he put some fresh lube on his cock and spread it with a few quick strokes from his hand.

Loki was surprised to be asked that essentially twice but nodded. Tony gave a grin and then grabbed hold of Loki's legs. Loki didn't resist being pulled closer, and he took a deep relaxing breath as he felt the head of Tony's cock against his entrance. Loki closed his eyes and focused on his breathing as Tony began to take him. The initial entry was always a bit uncomfortable even with preparation, especially for someone well endowed but Tony had been thorough with the prep, so it was much easier for Loki to take than most.

Tony groaned as he slowly rocked his hips to get deeper inside of Loki. "You're still so tight. How is that possible?" he asked into Loki's neck.

"Good genes, I guess," Loki replied absently as he shifted his hips and worked his muscles to better help.

After a few moments, Tony succeeded in burying his thick manhood into Loki's backside. He paused as he was buried fully to the hilt and groaned again. "You're so warm and tight..." Tony kissed along Loki's neck and down to his chest.

What discomfort there was for Loki eased as his body adjusted to having Tony's inside. "Are you going to move?" Loki asked after a few moments. "Or should I?"

"I kinda don't want to move," Tony admitted even though he started rocking his hips slowly.

"Then here, roll over," Loki said with a gentle push against Tony's shoulder.

Tony looked up in surprise but rolled onto his back, keeping hold of Loki's hips so that the other man moved with him. Loki sat upright above Tony. "You just let me do the work for now," Loki told him as he started rolling his hips and grinding against Tony's groin. Tony groaned immediately, and his grip on Loki's hips tightened.

Loki quickly adjusted to the new position and used his knees on either side of Tony's hips to help him ride the billionaire's cock. Loki lifted himself up so that only the very tip of Tony's length was still inside of him and then slowly lowered himself again. Tony moaned, and his hips jerked a little, but Loki was already lifting himself up again. He'd done this plenty of times, and it wasn't too long at all before Loki was impaling himself over and over, and Tony was pushing up into him at the same time.

Loki braced his arms on Tony's chest as he rocked back with every time he lowered himself. Tony groaned and pulled Loki's hips down each time to ensure their bodies came together hard and fast. Loki tried his best to imagine some sort of music in his head so that he could build up a pleasing rhythm for his movements. But that was hard to do with Tony's pleased moans continually distracting him. Sweat rolled down his skin from exertion, and his thighs were starting to ache, but Loki didn't pause to give himself a break. He just kept lifting himself almost all the way off of Tony and then dropping again.

Loki let his fingers run over Tony's chest and play with the scattering of hair there and his flat nipples. He wasn't sure if Tony even noticed, but Loki didn't let that stop him since it gave him some sort of grounding as he moved.

Suddenly, Tony lunged, and Loki let out a small cry of surprise as he found himself on his back with Tony looming over him. "Alright, I think it's time for me to take over," Tony said before hiking Loki's legs up higher.

Tony started rocketing his hips forward hard and fast, and Loki couldn't quite help the noise that caused to escape from his throat. He hadn't at all expected the change in positions and the sudden loss of control over the situation. All Loki could really do was hold on as Tony's dick rammed deep and hard inside of him over and over. "Shit, you feel so good," Tony breathed as he worked his hips harder.

Loki gasped as his entire body was jerked from the force of Tony's hips. "You were right about me," Tony panted into Loki's ear. "I do like it hard and fast."

"I knew it," Loki replied with a half smile that was ruined when another hard thrust from Tony made Loki gasp. "W-well, don't hold back on my account," Loki told him. "I'm sturdier than I look."

Tony groaned and pulled back just enough to grab Loki's legs and push them up so that they were hooked over Tony's shoulders. "We'll see just how sturdy then," Tony said before starting to move again. Loki couldn't help but cry out and grab the bedding for grounding as the new angle allowed Tony to plow even deeper inside.

The sensations of fullness and powerful movement were bringing Loki's erection back to life. Tony folded the taller man almost in half with each thrust and was doing his best to pick up his speed as much as possible. Tony bit down on Loki's shoulder and sucked on the spot, probably leaving yet another mark on Loki's pale skin. Loki would have been pushing back into the thrusts if he had any ability to move at all but his current position didn't leave him much choice in any regard. Loki could only lay there and take it as Tony had his way with him for however long they were at it. Loki sort of lost track of time somewhere during the pounding he was getting.

The bed springs were creaking from the force of Tony's thrusts, and Loki was finding it difficult to stay quiet, not that Tony seemed to care if he was quiet or not. Tony himself was almost grunting with effort as the sound of damp flesh ramming into even more of the same filled the room.

Loki was distantly afraid of the condom breaking from how hard Tony was moving, but those sorts of cautious thoughts were quickly driven from his mind as Tony shifted his hand to grasp hold of one of Loki's nipples and pay it some attention. Loki almost choked on the gasp that caused as Tony's callused fingers flicked and squeezed at the sensitive bud of flesh. Loki half arched upwards but wasn't able to do so fully since he was still almost folded with Tony pounding his backside relentlessly. It was almost as if Tony was trying to bury himself even deeper into Loki's body but just couldn't.

Loki, displaying far more strength than he usually did, managed to push off against the bed and roll at the same time so that he was again sitting on Tony's lap. "Hold on a minute," he breathed. Tony was panting from exertion as Loki carefully got off of his lap.

Hot lube dribbled down Loki's leg from his well-worked hole even as Loki turned. Loki got to his knees and bent over so that his backside was perked up for Tony. "Try this," he said as he reached back to pry his cheeks apart slightly.

Tony seemed surprised but scrambled to his knees quickly. "That does look nice," he said as he rubbed Loki's backside. He only waited for a second or two before he plunged his cock back inside. Loki let out a noise of surprise at the action but otherwise didn't protest. Almost immediately, Tony started slamming his hips forward again. This time, however, Loki was able to rock back to help with Tony's pleasure.

Tony leaned over and wrapped his arms around Loki's chest even as his mouth brushed across the lines of ink that were permanently etched into Loki's pale skin. Loki moaned and arched -pushing his backside into Tony's hips at the same time- as both of Tony's hands started molesting his nipples until they were both as hard as little stones and each touch sent tiny bolts of pleasure down to his groin.

As Tony kept pounding Loki's pliant body beneath him, Loki was starting to feel a little weak in his extremities. He wasn't sure how long they had been at it, but Tony didn't seem to be letting up anytime soon, and Loki's body was supporting both of them in this position. Loki panted for air and slowly lowered his arms so that they at least would catch a break.

"You okay?" Tony asked.

Loki nodded. "Yeah... I'm good."

Tony hesitated another moment but then went back to slamming his hips into Loki's ass over and over. Loki was panting for air as he rested his flushed and damp cheek against the comforter but still attempted to rock back for Tony when he felt he could.

Just then, Tony surprised Loki entirely by using one arm wrapped around Loki to reach down and grab hold of Loki's dripping erection. "W-wha?"

"I'm close," Tony huffed into Loki's ear. "But I want you to cum first," he added.

Tony's callused fingers squeezed and started stroking and it was such an unusual sensation for Loki that he had very little chance at resistance. Loki moaned and squirmed before thrusting his hips into Tony's hand. The precum that Loki had been dripping for quite a while and eased the friction and roughness of Tony's fingers.

Tony rubbed the head of Loki's penis and the taller man cried out at the sensation was enough to finish him off. Loki's release splattered everywhere because of how Tony's hand was positioned, and his body trembled from the force of it.

Tony groaned as the quakes were felt around his own twitching cock. He grabbed hold of Loki's hips again and ruthlessly pounded into the exhausted Loki until he too found that last push he needed. Tony paused as he finished and rested his forehead on Loki's back to catch his breath as his body slowly began to calm down. "You... are amazing," Tony said without moving.

"You sound surprised," Loki replied as he too tried to find a more familiar breathing pattern.

Tony slowly straightened and pulled his now spent cock free of Loki's backside. Loki took the chance to roll onto his side. "You're a bit of a beast in bed," Loki muttered. "I thought you were going to break my ass."

"Maybe I was trying to," Tony said as he got up and discarded the used condom and grab a washcloth.

Loki slowly shifted so that he was positioned with his head on the pillows again although he didn't dare get under the covers with how filthy he was. Tony returned with the damp cloth and handed it to the paler man. Loki nodded his thanks and cleaned off the majority of the semen and lube on his skin. "Should I make myself scarce?" Loki asked although he was feeling far too tired to move it wouldn't be the first time.

"Nah," Tony said as he tossed the washcloth in his sink and then returned. He pulled the comforter off and left the soiled fabric laying on the floor before getting into bed with Loki. "But I think we're both too tired for more."

"If we could even get it up for more," Loki agreed as he got under the sheets and closed his eyes. Tony too got under the sheets, and it wasn't a few minutes time before both men were sound asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

Tony Stark looked down at the man sleeping in his bed for a long moment. He honestly hadn't expected to enjoy what they'd done as much as he did. When he'd first came upstairs from his lab and saw the _man_ Happy had brought in -entirely on his own and Tony would be having a talk with his driver about that later- Tony had been intending to send they guy home with whatever payment Happy had promised him and then go right to the phone to call someone else. But as he'd taken a minute to really check the guy out -because Tony Stark didn't shy away from checking out everyone scantily dressed in his penthouse- he'd changed his mind on a whim. Loki had a pretty face, a bit of a bad boy edge with his earring and tattoos, and an almost exotic undertone with the odd but flattering half braided hair style. The taller man was made up of sleek lines and pale skin and had eyes like two emeralds were shoved in his eye sockets and Tony found the combination incredibly attractive. Plus that accent. Dear Lord that accent. Tony had never really considered himself much of an accent lover, but Loki's had gotten to him somehow. Especially when he'd said all those dirty things.

Loki was still understandably passed out since it had only been a few hours since they'd finished and it didn't look like he got a whole heap more sleep than Tony himself did. Loki hadn't even bothered to remove all the jewelry he had been wearing all night. But that did allow Tony to really look at his mostly exposed form. The sheet had tangled around Loki's legs but had fallen enough that Tony could see the full extent of the tattoos the other man had. The snake that curled down Loki's ribs ended up with its head near the man's shoulder blade, a wolf was materializing mid-run from behind the snake's coils underneath an art nouveau style girl's portrait in profile, a large spider was sitting on a web between the portrait and the snake, and a black horse head was right by Loki's spine and was throwing it's mane which melded into the girl's hair. Loki had said the tattoos meant something, but the only thing that Tony was aware of meaning something was the spider. And that didn't usually mean anything good -usually being an convict. Then again, prostitution was a crime so maybe that was the reason.

Tony let his eyes wander a bit more to trace the curve of Loki's firm ass and couldn't stop the smile from forming. That ass was definitely a crime too, he thought with amusement. Tony had half a mind to wake Loki and tap that again, but the other man seemed too exhausted to bother and Tony wasn't actually heartless. Plus, there was a lot of work Tony still had to do in the lab. Somewhat regretfully, the weapons manufacturer left Loki in his bed and quickly got changed. Once he was dressed again, Tony headed down to his private lab where he had been working when he'd felt the need for some fun 'exercise' with someone else. 

Getting Happy to pick up a prostitute was far from Tony's usual M.O. He could have easily called up one of the many women he knew that wouldn't say no to Tony Stark, but he hadn't wanted a fawning gold digger last night. Tony wanted a little more honesty than that, and while Loki had been here for the money too, he hadn't hidden it behind any false smiles or feigned interest in Tony's work. "Jarvis. Run a quick background check into our guest would you?" Tony asked as he got himself some coffee. Even though Tony was pretty sure that nobody would try to spy on him with a male prostitute over a female one, Tony was not -despite what Rhodey said- entirely unaware of things like corporate espionage, and didn't actually take as many irresponsible chances as people thought he did.

But from the mention of not being from New York and the possible prison tattoo that Loki had, Tony felt he had to at least double check. "Yes, sir," Jarvis said. "I have the cleaning bots attending to your guest's clothes."

"Great. Now bring up the latest Jericho Missile schematics and the test results on the alloys used in the casing. Let's see if we can't make this baby work even better," Tony said as he sat down on his rolling desk chair. Almost immediately the naked man in his bed was pushed to the very back of his mind.

* * *

Loki woke up when the sun rose enough so that the rays of morning light began to hit him in the face. He groaned and pushed himself up enough to look around with bleary eyes. It took a few moments for his mind to catch up with his surroundings. "Good morning," the voice from the night before said as Loki rubbed the sleep from his eyes. "The time is seven forty eight and the weather outside is mostly sunny with an increasing chance of rain as the day progresses and a current temperature of sixty eight degrees Fahrenheit."

Loki paused. "It's that late already?" he asked as he hurriedly got out of bed. He noticed, but only distantly, that Tony was nowhere to be found. Apparently his client either always got up early or didn't sleep very much. "Can I use the shower?" Loki asked.

"Yes sir," Jarvis replied.

Loki hurried into the fancy bathroom, barely noticing the fancy finishes on everything or the fact that even the shower seemed state of the art -aside from the fact he had to figure out the odd touch screen to get it to turn on. He just rinsed off as quickly as he could before getting back out and grabbing a towel. Loki needed to get home not to mention get groceries and he couldn't for the life of him remember if he'd called Tasha last night before passing out. Probably not since he was pretty sure he'd left his phone in the pocket of his pants and those were in the other room.

Loki wrapped the black towel from the bathroom around himself as he went to go retrieve the clothes he'd abandoned. He was still dripping wet but that was hardly a concern for him as he went to where he'd dropped his clothes the day before. Loki frowned when he didn't see them although he did see his phone on the floor where he'd thought he'd left his pants. He quickly grabbed it up and dialed in Natasha's number. 

There was only a single ring before it was picked up. "Where the hell have you been?" Tasha demanded.

"I'm still at the John's place," Loki said. "I'm fine. He just bought the whole night, and I'm leaving as soon as I get dressed again," he told her. "I meant to call you when we finished but... well he was pretty _enthusiastic_ last night."

"Oh?" Natasha immediately sounded interested. "How so?"

"How do you think?" Loki asked as he got down on his knees and looked under the low couch for his clothes. "I'll tell you about it later if you want, you perv. But for now I have to get dressed and going. Just wanted you to know I wasn't chopped up in trash bags somewhere."

"Thanks for the update." She said it sarcastically but Loki knew she was actually honest about that. The chance of something like that happening was frighteningly high, after all. "How much did this guy pay you anyway?" Natasha asked curiously.

Loki grinned even though Tasha couldn't see it. "A grand."

"Bullshit."

"No, seriously," Loki said. "I have enough to actually pay rent _and_ get groceries."

Tasha let out a low whistle. "Lucky bitch. I'll talk to you later. Get home safe, yeah?"

"Will do," Loki said before hanging up and finally getting to his feet. Where the hell were his clothes? He really did need those. He was just about to ask Jarvis, who seemed to at least have audio going constantly, where his clothes went when the elevator dinged. Loki turned to see a lovely woman with red hair -although a far lighter shade than Tasha's- in a perfectly tailored suit walk in with a garment bag in her hand. 

The woman paused for a moment to consider Loki and then gave a perfect -if entirely empty- smile. "I have your clothes here. They've been dry cleaned and pressed and there's a car waiting for you in the garage to take you where you need to go."

"Ah, thank you," Loki said as he took the garment bag. "I was wondering where those were."

"Well, unless there's anything else?" the woman asked.

Loki was about to say no when he remembered the whole reason he was here. "Well, Tony does owe me a... thousand dollars. So, if I could get that?" he asked, feeling awkward. He had the distinct feeling that he was talking to the important woman in his client's life (whether that was wife or girlfriend it didn't matter, he knew significant other when he saw it) and that was an awkwardness Loki had rather hoped to avoid. He probably should have asked Tony if she would be around so he could have fled before this terribly uncomfortable encounter.

The woman's eyes narrowed for just a moment before she went over to the breakfast bar and picked up a white envelope that had blended right in with the white marble. She opened it and leafed through several green bills before bringing it over to hand to Loki. "There you go," she said. And, even though she sounded pleasant enough, Loki knew that she was judging him. The significant others of his customers _always_ judged him on the rare chance they met. At least this one didn't seem so unbelievably surprised or upset that her man had hired Loki. She was definitely not pleased but seemed to be very good at restraining herself. Not a single threat of violence had been made. Or anything thrown. Probably the best encounter Loki had ever had with a John's real relationship.

Loki took the envelope and nodded. "Thanks. I'll just... go change," he said as he hurried into the bedroom again. Loki cursed quietly to himself as he quickly pulled his clothes (that most assuredly had never been dry cleaned before) out of the garment bags and started pulling them on quickly. Loki only paused long enough to count up the money in the envelope and regather the condoms that he'd taken out of his wallet the night before.

Once he was sure he had everything, Loki left the bedroom and was glad to see that the woman was gone. He didn't need that awkwardness. Loki went straight to the elevator, which opened right up without Loki even calling for it, and pressed the button for the garage. When Loki got to the garage he spotted the same guy that had picked him up (Happy, if Loki remembered right) waiting beside a black Town Car this time while looking at his cellphone. He did look up as Loki approached. "Enjoy your stay?" he asked with a straight face although Loki was sure that he was internally laughing.

"It was a successful business transaction," Loki replied as if he hadn't just spent the night being paid for sex. "Can you take me home now?"

"Of course," Happy said as he pushed off from where he had been leaning against the side of the car. "Just tell me where to go."

Loki got into the passenger seat as Happy held the door open for him. As Happy went around to the driver's side, Loki reconsidered. "Actually, there's a grocery store near my place. I need to go spend some money. So if you could drop me off there, that'd be better."

"Sure, I was told wherever you wanted," Happy replied as he started the car.

Again the car ride was mostly silent, but Loki's head was preoccupied with less worry than before and instead he was making a mental shopping list. The kids would be so glad to have some decent groceries for once. Loki was planning an actual _meal_ for dinner with his windfall of money. It wasn't often he could do things like that, usually he saved up for holidays, but rarely did he get so much in one night.

The trip to the store was longer than Loki liked. He blamed it on morning traffic, which was still heavy despite it being a weekend. Happy didn't look very much like his namesake at the sight of the large grocery store about four blocks from where he'd picked Loki up off the strip. Loki had to admit it was far from the higher class establishments with special organic options and perfectly polished floors that Happy was probably more used to. Loki waved a little as he got out of the car and hurried inside. For once, Loki actually grabbed a cart and headed to the first aisle rather than getting a basket and only getting the barest necessities.

Loki spent longer than he usually did going through the store and getting everything that he had been needing for ages. He wasn't quite sure how he would get his groceries home. He was just focusing on making sure he would have everything needed for the moment. Even though Loki had a thousand dollars he wasn't about to go crazy in his spending. Loki spent quite a bit of time looking at all the different brands and deals that were going on so that he could get the most bang for his very valuable -and sometimes uncomfortably acquired- buck.

Peter texted him while Loki was comparing the price of different breads to ask if he was alright and where he was. Loki quickly texted back that he was getting the groceries and was fine. Loki tossed two loafs of bread into his cart and moved on to the next aisle. There were very few people in the grocery store this early in a neighborhood this rough, and those that were looked drawn out and a bit rough, but these were the people that Loki was used to being around so he paid them very little attention and they returned the favor.

Loki was surprised at how long it took to fill up his cart with groceries, but it was also remarkably satisfying for something so simple. Once he was sure he had everything that he needed, Loki headed to the checkouts. Loki wasn't glad to see the cashier was one of the less pleasant people that he knew, but none of the other registers were actually open yet and he didn't want to wait for anyone else to finish logging in and she _was_ still the fastest cashier they had. "Hi, Loki. Have a kinky customer did you? This is a whole lot more than you usually buy."

"None of your business, Lorelei," Loki said as he started putting his groceries on the belt. "Just do your job and ring me up."

"You mean like you did your job in fucking someone?" she asked in a sweet voice.

Loki narrowed his eyes. "Watch yourself, rich girl," Loki hissed. "I'm sure your boss would hate to hear you were being rude to me again."

Lorelei flipped her hair with a huff before starting to scan the packages. Lorelei hated being reminded that she was only working a menial job in a low class neighborhood because she had gotten into trouble with first her parents and then the manager of her first store. Lorelei kept giving dirty looks to Loki as she worked, but Loki ignored them. She was just a bitter teenager and Loki had far too many other things to deal with than her.

Loki handed over several large bills to pay for the food before starting to put the bags into the cart. He might have to end up stealing the thing because there were a few too many bags to easily carry. Lorelei handed his change back with a wide and entirely too fake smile. "Here you go, whore. I'm sure this is closer to the money you're used to being handed."

"Thanks, slut," Loki responded with an equally false tone. "Maybe someday someone will like you enough to pay you for it rather than you giving it up for free."

Lorelei looked enraged but could only sputter as Loki left the line to head outside with the cart full of bags. Loki knew that he'd only have to deal with her later on when he came back next week, but he was pleased to have rendered her speechless for at least a few minutes, which allowed him to leave. Outside the sky had started to cloud up while Loki was shopping, which made Loki frown. The last thing he wanted to do was lug a whole bunch of bags back home in the rain. Not that he had a choice in the matter, but still.

Perhaps Loki would get lucky enough that the rain would at least hold off until he got home. The sky was clouding over quickly, but that didn't mean that it would actually rain. Loki pulled his thin coat more fully closed. Unfortunately, it was missing any way to keep it that way, so Loki doubted he'd make it more than a few feet before it opened again. That was usually fine as he didn't close his coat while trying to attract customers but when it was nasty outside he did regret buying a second hand coat that didn't actually close.

Loki started hooking his arms though the handles of the bags so that he could carry as many as possible. Already he was worried that he would also have to carry several bags _in_ his arms as well as the ones on his arms but stealing the grocery cart didn't really appeal to him either. What would he even do with it after? Sure there were plenty of abandoned grocery trollies hanging around the neighborhood but they were, quite frankly, an eyesore that Loki would hate to contribute to. "Need some help?" a familiar -but surprising- voice asked from behind him. Loki spun around and came face to face with Happy again.

"What are you still doing here?" Loki asked.

"Pepper asked me to make sure you got home," Happy replied as he reached past Loki and picked up the last few bags from the cart.

Loki frowned. "Pepper?"

"You met her this morning. Pepper Potts," Happy supplied.

"Ah. The girlfriend," Loki realized. That was very odd. No girlfriend of a client had ever cared if he got home or not. Or even anything about him so long as he wasn't at the time in bed with their significant others.

"She's not Mr. Stark's girlfriend. She's his assistant," Happy corrected.

Loki couldn't help but snort. "Okay. Not girlfriend," he said although he didn't believe it in the least. He knew 'girlfriend' when he saw one. "But that doesn't answer why she asked you to get me home," Loki added.

"I couldn't say," Happy said as he took the bags he was carrying back to where Loki now saw the car was parked nearby. "But I do what I'm told and that's what she told me," he added as he put one fist full of bags down on the asphalt to open the trunk. "So just put everything in here and I'll drive you. Unless you'd rather walk?"

Loki was about to say that yes he actually did prefer that when he felt a single drop of water hit his temple. He looked up at the sky with a scowl. Though it wasn't even really drizzling yet that raindrop was far too threatening. Loki _despised_ storms. With an annoyed huff, Loki crossed the remaining distance and started putting the bags into the trunk of the car. "Only because it's about to rain. Wasn't it supposed to be sunny today?"

"It started out sunny," Happy offered. "Started clouding over about forty minutes ago while you were inside." Loki grunted but wasn't in the least bit happy by that. Still, he wasn't foolish enough to argue against not walking home in the rain so he loaded his groceries and got into the car.

Despite more than a few reservations about the entire situation, Loki directed Happy to the rundown apartments that he lived in. Normally, if a John offered to drive Loki home, he would direct the guy a street over from his actual building and just cut through an alley and then cross the street. Loki had no desire whatsoever to deal with people coming to his house for tricks. Loki made a point to not ever bring men home with him and didn't need them following him there either. But also, he wasn't often toting bags of groceries at the same time he was being dropped off. Loki decided he would let Happy know the building but not the actual apartment in a sort of compromise. "You should stay out here," Loki said as he unbuckled himself. "You wouldn't want those shiny hub caps being lifted or anything."

"You can't carry it all yourself," Happy protested.

"I'll take more than one trip," Loki replied in annoyance. "A few stairs won't kill me." Loki didn't wait for Happy to protest again and just got out of the car and went to the trunk. He had to wait a few minutes but then Happy evidently gave in and the latch popped. Loki lifted the trunk and grabbed the first few bags while he heard Happy get out of the car. "I said I got it," Loki said as Happy came to stand right beside where Loki was pulling out about six bags.

"I'm just standing here to wait," Happy replied with his arms folded. "In case you change your mind."

Loki frowned. "I won't," he promised before heading to the front door. He glanced behind him and was glad that Happy didn't make any effort to move from where he was standing on the sidewalk beside the open trunk.

Loki hurried up the six flights of steps to reach the top floor of the building where his apartment was two at a time. He could hear Sleipnir's father blasting the TV across the hall from his own apartment and rolled his eyes. The man was definitely drunk again if the TV was up that loud. Loki put down half the bags he was carrying and unlocked first the deadbolt and then the handle of his door. He scowled as he was able to open the door without a problem. "Why is the chain not on?" he asked as he came into the apartment. One glance around the room brought about another, "And where's Peter?"

"Peter's out with Wade," Sleipnir supplied as Hela left his lap to go to where Loki was putting his bags on the peeling Formica counter top. "And I forgot the chain, I'm sorry."

"Wade? Again?" Loki demanded. "If I told that boy once..." he growled before cutting himself off. He didn't like Peter's insistence to hang around Wade. The man was unstable and never took his meds. And that wasn't even mentioning the open secret of Wade's past as a mob hitman. Or was it a freelance hitman? Either way, hired killer was not a suitable influence for a teenager.

Sure, Loki himself wasn't _heaps_ better but he knew enough to keep as much of his life separate from the kids as he could. Wade, on the other hand, rambled whatever popped into his head including very violent stories if they happened to occur to him. And then there was the time he'd shown Peter his weapon collection (which Loki was sure the man shouldn't have in any capacity). Loki shook his head and vowed to have another talk with Peter even as he picked Hela up from where she was hugging Loki's leg. "Hello, Hela baby. I'm sorry I'm so late," he said. "Have you had breakfast?"

"Yes, Peter made us some before he went out," Jory murmured shyly.

Loki nodded and gave the girl a kiss on her forehead. "Alright. I have some more bags to bring in. You four stay in here and I'll be right back," he said before handing a very reluctant Hela off to Fenris. Loki pulled out his phone and sent Peter a very simple text of 'Home. Now' as he went back downstairs to the street.

The effort of moving all the groceries ended up taking three trips up and down the stairs. On the last trip down, Loki found Peter standing in front of Happy with a frown. "You one of Loki's tricks then?" he asked, sounding highly disapproving.

"Peter!" The teen flinched hard and spun around. "Upstairs. Now," Loki ordered. Peter seemed to realize he was in serious trouble and fled into the building and up the stairs at record speed. Loki waited until the door to the building closed again before going to gather up the last bags from the trunk of the car. "Sorry, about that."

Happy shrugged but he was eyeing Loki more critically now. "... you don't look old enough to have a teenager," he prompted.

"I don't see how that's your business," Loki grumbled back.

Happy seemed to realize he was treading into dangerous territory and held up his hands. "Right, sorry," he said. "Just surprised me is all."

Loki nodded a little but didn't comment again on how it wasn't his business. "Thanks for the lift," Loki said as he closed the trunk and headed towards the door to his building again.

"Anytime," Happy called back just as Loki made it through the door and let it nearly slam closed behind him.

When Loki got back up to the apartment, Peter was sitting looking very sullen on the couch and the others were digging into the bags of groceries to put everything away under Sleipnir's supervision. Loki put the last two bags down on the counter before locking the door to the apartment and then going to stand in front of Peter. "What have I told you a _million_ times, Peter?" Loki wanted to know.

Peter didn't answer. Loki sighed. "First you go off to see that crazy guy again-"

"He's not that bad!" Peter snapped quickly. "And you know it!"

"He doesn't take his medication!" Loki argued. "How am I supposed to trust he won't hurt you when I don't even know _which_ Wade you'll be around? Or what time he thinks he's in?"

"He'd never hurt me!"

Loki wanted to pull his hair out. "You can't know that, Pete! That's my point!" Loki tried his best to not shout but he knew he was getting loud. He took a moment to try and breathe deeply and calm himself. "If he were taking his medication it would be one thing... but he's not stable enough without doing that for you be around him."

"You're not my father! You can't tell me what to do!" Peter snapped.

"No, but I care about what happens to you," Loki said as calmly as he was able. "And the very last thing I want is for you to go see Wade when he doesn't recognize you and have him shoot your brains out with one of his many illegal guns."

"He wouldn't!"

Loki sighed heavily. "Peter, he thinks you have literal spider powers," he pointed out. "All because you doodled spiders all over everything when you were little. Normal people don't think things like that!"

"So he's a little... strange," Peter said, a little more hesitant now. "But he's sweet..."

The thought to point out how quickly that could flip with an unmediated mentally ill man occurred to Loki but he knew that would only set off the argument again and he really didn't want to go in circles. "The questionable choice of your companions aside..." Loki began, "you shouldn't have been outside in the first place."

"You were taking forever to get home!"

"I told you I was on the way!" Loki snapped before taking another deep breath. "You should have waited. And, you should not have spoken to that man downstairs."

"Why not? It's not like I don't know you fucked him," Peter said bitterly.

Loki almost physically felt his temper snap. Peter was just upset and lashing out. Loki _knew_ that, but it didn't make his words hurt any less. Loki had to bite his tongue for several minutes to not say something he'd regret. Only when he was sure that his voice would come out even did Loki begin to respond, "For your information. I didn't 'fuck him,' Peter." Peter scoffed and looked off to the side. "He was just a driver. He didn't even touch me."

"Nobody should be touching you!" Peter snapped suddenly. "Him or any of those other perverts you go home with!"

Loki sighed heavily and felt the anger dissolve instantly. "Peter..." Peter folded in on himself and refused to look up. He was trying to look angry but didn't quite manage it. Loki sat down on the couch beside the teen and rested his forearms on his knees. "We've been over this, Peter. I don't have any options besides this and I'm not letting you 'help' either. I want better for you."

"And we're not allowed to want better for you, is that it?" Peter asked back.

"I never said that," Loki denied. "But I can't work a legitimate job and you know that. It's either this or go back to Europe and I won't do that. Even if I wanted to, which I don't, I couldn't leave you kids alone."

"Me and Sleip could take care of the others," Peter argued.

Loki reached up and gently moved Peter's hair away from his face. "I know, but you shouldn't have to. Both of you should focus on getting your degrees so you don't have to worry about not being able to find a job. Learn from my mistakes. Pride isn't a good enough reason to cut your nose off in spite of your face."

Peter was quiet for several minutes. "I just hate seeing you come home like this," he finally muttered. Loki was mildly confused until Peter reached over and brushed his fingers across a spot on Loki's neck. Loki's hand flew up and covered what he now remembered would be a brilliantly obvious hickey that Stark had left.

"If the worst I get at night is a hickey, I think it's a pretty good night," Loki replied.

"They found another this morning," Peter said suddenly.

Loki frowned. "Another?"

"Hooker in the river," Peter clarified. "One of those drugged up guys that sold himself to get his fix a few blocks over from where you work... It was on the news this morning. But they didn't give all that at first... just a male hooker shot and dumped in the river like trash. I thought... and when you didn't call..."

"Hey, it wasn't me," Loki said as he wrapped an arm around Peter's shoulders. "I'm fine and I don't take stupid risks," Loki assured the teen, although he knew that wasn't necessarily true. Just working the streets was stupidly risky.

"I was so relieved when you texted back but then I got mad because you hadn't called before that and I... I just had to get out of the house. I didn't mean to worry you," Peter said as he pulled off his black rimmed glasses that were crooked because there wasn't money to replace them so that he could wipe his face off.

Loki squeezed the boy's shoulder briefly. "It's alright. I'm sorry I worried you like that." Peter snuffled and wiped his face on his sleeve again. "Come here," Loki murmured and pulled Peter closer. Peter turned into Loki's chest without much fight and stayed buried there for several minutes. 

As Loki held the teen, he was suddenly aware of how quiet the rest of the apartment was. The other kids were nowhere to be seen in the main room of the apartment so Sleipnir must of ushered the others into Loki's bedroom to be away from the fight. Loki would thank the other teen later. Right now, it was a little more important to assure Peter that Loki wasn't about to be murdered and tossed in the river.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter sort of came out of nowhere... but I like it. 
> 
> Also, had some thoughts I'd like ya'll to weigh in on. One, crossdressing Loki? Honestly can't tell if I want this in the fic or not and if so if its just a thing in the bedroom or a more open thing. Two, Tony/Pepper/Loki action? I have to admit its quickly becoming my OT3... but I wasn't initially planning on it being in this story.

The cheap decade-old motel springs creaked gratingly but continuously. The irritating chorus of squeaks was mostly drowned out, however, under the sounds of sex going on above. Breathless cries and grunts of effort filled the room as the two bodies slammed together hard and fast. "Ah, ah!" Loki cried out from each ruthless thrust from the older man pinning him down. His fingers dug into the back of his customer as he canted his hips up to a better angle. Loki did wish the other man would slow down some, but he knew that wouldn't happen. His hips would definitely be sore after this. There were a few more minutes of grunting against Loki's bare chest and thrusts between his legs before the grey-haired man loudly finished. The two of them took a moment to catch their breath before the older man rolled off of Loki to lay back on the outdated scratchy floral bedspread that was crumpled around them.

Loki, still panting some, propped himself up on his elbows to look over at his client with an eyebrow raised. Just a moment later, the alarm on the man's watch went off and he grunted, "An hour." He sounded almost satisfied. The older man grabbed his wallet and pulled out a few bills to hand to Loki. "I don't know why you doubt me all the time."

Loki rolled his eyes even as he took his payment. "You are such a cheapskate, Jameson," Loki said even as his client reached for a cigar that was tucked into his discarded suit jacket to light up. "Would it really kill you to do it in two hours?" the younger man asked as he climbed out of bed. He was a little unsteady on his feet but was used to Jonah's method of quickies so recovered after a few careful steps. Jameson was one of Loki's few 'regular' customers, but he rarely spent very much.

"Why would I spend more than that?" Jonah demanded as he sat up enough to peel the soiled latex off his spent cock. After a few quick wipes with a nearby tissue, he quickly put himself back in his boxers and pulled up his trousers. Jameson never bothered to fully undress since he imposed an hour time limit on himself.

"Fine, you could get someone cheaper," Loki pointed out as he went to the bathroom.

"If I wanted to fuck someone on drugs, I'd just fuck my wife," Jameson snapped. Loki could smell the smoke from Jameson's cigar as he rinsed off in the shower. He spent only the barest minimum of time in the shower and then got out to get dressed again. He knew Jameson would be impatient since he didn't want to linger in the motel room. It had taken Loki several years to convince Jameson to shell out for a room for their semi-regular encounters. Jameson used to just park somewhere and fuck Loki in the back of his car. The cleaning bill to get suspicious stains out of the seats was what eventually convinced the newspaper editor to take Loki to a room. After he found one with a cheap enough hourly rate to satisfy him, of course.

Loki came back out of the bathroom while pulling his top down. "Antidepressant drugs aren't quite the same as street drugs, Jameson," Loki pointed out.

"Not the way she takes them," Jameson said in his usual brusk tone that made him sound perpetually unhappy -which Loki wasn't entirely convinced was untrue. "Those damn pills cost a fortune, and she takes 'em like candy!"

"With such a charming husband, I can't imagine why," Loki drawled. He sat down a little gingerly on the side of the bed and quickly pulled his boots on.

Jameson ignored Loki's comment entirely. "I've been trying to think up a name for this guy killing hookers," he said, switching the topic entirely and without the slightest hint that he was going to do it beforehand. "Too bad he's just shooting people. Hard to work 'shooter' into a good sounding name. If he was hanging them, I could call him the Hooker Hangman. Has a nice ring to it don't you think?"

"I'm somewhat less than enthralled by it," Loki said honestly. He didn't want to think about a possible budding serial killer that targeted prostitutes.

"How about the Back Alley Shooter?" Jameson suggested. "Those two worked off the main strip right?"

Loki sighed. "Do you even know if the same person killed them both?" he asked. "It could be completely unrelated."

"Not from what I heard," Jameson said as he got to his feet and put his wallet back in his pants pocket. "My sources say the same semen was on both bodies. Well, in both bodies, I guess. Same guy killed 'em both. It's going to sell tons of papers." His pants were already fastened again, and he had his coat in one arm; clearly, he was ready to go.

"I'm so happy for you," Loki muttered even as Jameson held the door to the room open. Loki knew it wasn't chivalry that prompted it, but rather Jameson wanting to be sure that Loki left and he wouldn't have to pay for the additional time he didn't use. "But he is killing people, you know."

Jameson didn't seem the least perturbed. "Murder sells papers. Murder and sex. This has both. Best thing for a newspaper."

"Worst thing for people like me," Loki added.

"Just don't fuck a murderer," Jameson replied as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Loki rolled his eyes. "They don't exactly have it tattooed on their foreheads, Jonah," Loki pointed out. "If it were that easy to avoid it would be easier to catch them too."

"You should give me a discount for keeping you off the streets for an hour," Jonah said immediately. "Keeps you safe."

"Stop trying to find ways to get discounts," Loki snapped in agitation. Jameson was always trying to get him to charge less. But Loki wouldn't budge on how much it cost for him to sleep with someone. He might have taken several blows to his self-esteem over the years of selling his body, but he didn't think that lowly of himself. Nor was he feeding an addiction that made him desperate.

Jameson grumbled but didn't try again. Loki leaned against the wall outside of the motel office as Jonah paid for the room and turned in the key. Once that was taken care of, Jameson drove Loki back to the street corner he worked. Loki was glad for the lift back but didn't bother to thank the man. Considering he'd only gotten a hundred dollars for that encounter being driven back was really the absolute least he expected. 

Loki wasn't entirely surprised to see that Tasha wasn't there. She was a very attractive girl with plenty of people that would want her attention. Plus, Loki had been gone for a bit over an hour so she'd probably found her own John. Loki leaned back against his light post and pulled out his phone. He sent off a quick text to Natasha saying he was back but wasn't expecting one in return. At least not anytime soon.

Loki had some time to kill, so he wandered up to where there was a news stall and glanced over the headlines. On several of the magazines, there was Tony Stark's face and a headline questioning if he was a genius or maniac. People were arguing over his weapons business again, it seemed. Usually, Loki would breeze past the articles without a second look, but now that he'd actually _met_ Tony Stark he felt he had a little more reason to have an opinion on the man. Genius was definitely true enough of a description, but 'maniac' was a little harder to prove. At least, with only the night Loki had spent in his penthouse yesterday to go off of.

Since the man at the newsstand wouldn't let Loki just paw through the magazines without paying for at least one, Loki left the stall untouched and meandered back towards his spot. The phone in Loki's pocket buzzed, and he pulled it out to see that Tasha had responded. She was going to be another few hours, not that Loki was shocked to hear that.

A man approached Loki a little while later, and by the time he got back from the alley he had ducked in to take care of that customer, Natasha was back from her John. "Hey," she greeted even as Loki made absolutely sure that his pants were fully fastened.

"Hi. Been a good night for you?" Loki asked as he watched Natasha fix her mussed curls as best she could considering they were on the street and she was only able to use windows and car side view mirrors.

"It's a Saturday," Tasha said by way of an answer.

Loki nodded in understanding and leaned his shoulder against his light post. "You never told me where you met this lady we're going to see tomorrow," he prompted after several minutes of watching Natasha fix her make-up.

"I was recruited actually," she answered. "Apparently one of my customers recommended me."

Loki's eyebrow went up. Now it seemed even more unlikely they'd have any interest in Loki. Plus he wasn't sure how many escort services recruited hookers that worked the street level. "Did they say which one?" Loki asked curiously. It must have been someone rich, he thought.

"No, didn't ask either," Tasha said flippantly. "I figured if they take me on and I get clients it'll be pretty obvious when he shows up again."

"I suppose it would at that," Loki agreed as he let his eyes sweep the street for any likely customers. "Have I ever heard of this service?" he asked.

Tasha's curls swayed as she shook her head. "No. I haven't either, and honestly, it doesn't sound much like a service. They call it Shield or something. I guess it pays to not be obvious about what you provide considering the business but I would have thought they'd go for something at least a little... welcoming."

"Maybe you should suggest it to their marketing team," Loki drawled.

"Maybe I will," she replied haughtily although Loki didn't take her tone seriously. Natasha was a master of mimicking emotions she didn't really feel. That was why her customers all thought she was in love with them when it was anything but. Natasha had aspirations of being a dancer once, and, though Loki didn't know the whole story, he knew that those dreams had been ripped away very unceremoniously when she was brought to this country. It was their shared alien status that had initially brought Loki and Natasha together although Natasha was from somewhere very Russian sounding initially and Loki Europe, which he'd never narrowed down further for her. Natasha had even taught Loki Russian while Loki had taught her French and together they had learned the finer points of English and tried to lose their accents. Natasha was notably more successful at the latter than Loki had been.

Loki's eyes swept the street again, and something in the shadows of one alley caught his attention. "Tasha," he called to make sure he had her full attention. She looked over instantly, and Loki nodded to the figure watching them. "Your favorite is here."

Natasha whipped around immediately and smiled at the man who was still sticking to the shadows. "I'll see you later, Loki. He looks lonely," Tasha said with more warmth than she normally used.

"He always looks lonely," Loki replied as he eyed the somewhat ragged man with scraggly long brown hair falling in his face and a very lopsided silhouette. Loki knew from Tasha the man was a war veteran suffering from immense PTSD and injuries, but he'd never dared get close enough for Loki to meet him properly. Natasha greeted the man in Russian, and Loki was able to make out a few muttered words back -also sounding like Russian, but too faint to make out for sure.

Natasha hooked an arm through the man's and led him off down the alley, and Loki turned his attention to his own business. Tasha always took several hours to deal with that particular customer, but Loki wasn't in the least worried about her safety. The redhead was more than capable of defending herself and from what she said the war vet was harmless.

The rest of the night went by fast enough with Loki doing a few more tricks and occasionally catching glimpses of Tasha in between. For Loki, it was a pretty busy night although most of the guys had only wanted blow jobs from him since Tasha was already occupied. Catching the guys that Natasha cast off was one of the more lucrative perks to hanging out with the redhead. Males, in general, didn't earn as much business, but Loki had earned himself a reputation for his tongue and mouth being a damn fine substitute for Natasha. Once the sky started getting lighter, Loki decided to call it a night. He was dead tired, and Natasha was going to be by at noon for them to go to that interview thing. Loki was still skeptical about it, but he figured a few hours sleep beforehand would probably be best.

Loki was as quiet as possible as he entered the apartment. He didn't want to wake any of the kids. Peter was asleep on his couch with his glasses still on while Sleipnir had curled up on a mattress on the floor beside it. Usually, that mattress was under the sofa to keep it out of the way whenever Sleipnir wasn't around, which was becoming less and less often.

Loki carefully leaned across to pull Peter's glasses off and set them on the coffee table beside a book on Shakespeare that was probably from Sleipnir's homework. Peter shifted in his sleep and buried his face into his pillow before settling again. Heading into the bedroom, Loki spotted the three children of Angrboda curled up in a tangle on Loki's bed with Hela in the middle and Jormungundr curled protectively around the other two. Loki couldn't quite help but smile even as he went to the bathroom. He shed his clothes and jewelry before getting into the shower. 

The hot water felt amazing against Loki's tired body, and he let himself indulge in a longer one than usual. He made sure to clean himself very thoroughly with his (admittedly cheap but still nicely scented) body wash. His fingers untangled his hair as the sudsy water streamed down his skin to pool at his feet. The drain in the tub was always so damn slow.

Once Loki was sure that his outside was clean he glanced out of the shower to make sure that the door was indeed locked. The button was pressed down, so Loki leaned over to rest his upper body against the shower tiles and put some more body wash on his hand. He moved his soapy hand behind himself. Loki had to be gentle as he slid two fingers inside of himself. Not many of his customers were kind or considerate, so after a busy night like the one he just had he was feeling quite tender. He didn't think he was bleeding though, so that was a definite plus.

Loki tried his best to be clinical about it, but that area was definitely overly sensitive at that time. Just sliding his soap slickened fingers inside of his already worked hole had his blood beginning to stir more than he would have liked. It was incredibly hard for Loki to pick out if it was his pure amount of experience that made his body react like it did or if he always would have responded to the sensations of something in his ass, so he tried to not ever think about it. Still, it was definitely experience that allowed him to slide his fingers inside himself in a way that felt good despite how sore he already was. The hot water continued to pound against his back and run down his skin as Loki forgot he was meant to be cleaning up in favor of chasing his own pleasure. Loki hadn't actually gotten off at all that night, which was frustrating, to say the least. He'd gotten hard, but none of his customers had bothered to finish him. Nor had Loki been given a chance to finish himself.

Loki broke away for a moment to reach into the cabinet under the sink. It was an awkward stretch, but he managed to do it without completely soaking everything. Loki tripled checked the door was locked before shifting so that he was leaning back against the wall of the shower with his foot resting on the ledge of the tub so that he had room. The water was beginning to feel cooler where it was hitting his chest, so he turned the temperature up even higher before dropping his hand to slide his fingers inside of himself again. The pretext of washing was completely gone now as he stroked his own insides.

He moved his fingers slowly to make sure that he didn't cross the border between pleasure and pain since his hole was aching so much, but that slowness only added to his own desire. Loki _wanted_ to go faster. To feel more but he resisted the urge as best he could. His blood was rushing lower, and he couldn't seem to get enough air. Between his legs, Loki's cock was beginning to harden as his sensitive muscles were teased and stroked. But it wasn't nearly enough. Loki adjusted his hand's position as best he could and curled his fingers so that he could brush across the tender nerves of his prostate. He couldn't help the gasp and quickly bit his lip to keep from making any more noise.

The last time he'd felt that he'd been in Stark's penthouse, he realized unbidden. Loki brushed that thought away impatiently as he tried to angle his fingers to better reach that gland again. He couldn't manage it nearly as well as Tony had, but it was enough to get him fully aroused.

Loki brought his free hand to his cock and pressed it inside the soft tube of false flesh that he'd retrieved from under the sink. Loki gasped at how unusually tight it felt even as the water from the shower and his own grip made it warmer and pleasantly slick. It was so unusual nowadays where _he_ was in something, and it only ever seemed to be toys. His grip on the toy tightened as he started using it to jerk off. Loki's other hand sought out that spot inside of him again even as he pumped the toy over his length.

The noise of the shower going helped block out the little moans and gasps that kept trying to escape as Loki moved both hands faster. Loki squeezed the toy tighter and twisted his fingers behind him to try and find the best way to get the most pleasure. He could already tell he was getting close to his limit. Being brought to arousal and not satisfied all night long had definitely taken its toll on his stamina.

Loki moved his hand as fast as he could without losing his grip on the now very slick toy. Loki's fingers twisted just right to touch that bundle of nerves again, and that was it. The cry of pleasure as he came was only barely caught in his throat at the last minute, and he was left leaning heavily against the wall of the shower. Loki took a moment to catch his breath again and quickly cleaned up himself and the toy he had filled with his release.

The water had gone entirely cold by then, and so Loki quickly turned the faucet off before tucking his toy away again behind some cleaning supplies where none of the kids would easily stumble across it. He felt a little better for having some satisfaction finally, but now he was just mostly tired.

Loki left the bathroom a few minutes later with a towel around his shoulders to catch any drips of water from his hair and a very threadbare lime green robe around his still damp body. Originally the garment had been a much darker green, but in a blundering effort to help out around the apartment, the kids had accidentally bleached it in the wash. Loki hadn't been able to be mad at them for it though since they'd honestly been trying to help. Plus the looks on their faces had been far too adorable.

The kids were still sleeping as Loki went around the apartment and put a few things away and triple checked that everything was locked. Once he was satisfied, Loki curled up in a large recliner he'd picked up for cheap at Goodwill and let his tiredness overcome him. 

Some time later, Loki woke up to the sounds of the television going. He opened his eyes and saw Fenris sitting in front of the screen with a bowl of cereal in his lap. Jormungundr was at least sitting at the coffee table while he nibbled on slices of toast drenched in jam. Hela was curled up in Loki's lap and playing with the edge of his robe. "... Good morning," Loki murmured.

Hela turned away from the morning cartoons being played immediately. "Loki!" She threw her arms around his neck in a hug and Loki brushed a hand over her back.

The other kids turned as well. Peter came into Loki's view from, he guessed, the kitchen. "Do you want something to eat?"

"I'm fine, Peter, thank you," Loki said as he sat up a little more fully. Loki had long gotten out of the habit of eating three meals a day. "But you should have woken me to make breakfast. What time is it?"

"Almost nine," Peter answered. "You want some coffee at least?"

Loki thought for a minute before shaking his head. "No, thank you. I have to go out with Auntie Natasha for lunch, so you three have to listen to Peter and Sleipnir, alright?" he told the youngest three kids. Hela nodded solemnly, but Jormungundr looked confused.

"You're going out for lunch?" Jory asked.

"Well, it's a business lunch," Loki said. "It shouldn't take too long, and I'm really just going to keep Tasha company. I doubt I'll get the job. Still, never hurts to apply, right?"

Peter looked like Christmas came early. "You're trying to get a different job?"

"Easy, Peter, like I said, I probably won't get it. I think they just agreed to meet with me so that Tasha would come," Loki said. He didn't want to get Peter's hopes up too high only to be dashed. "But, yes, it is better than what I'm doing now."

Loki never used anything other than 'job' or other such vague terms when talking about what he did for money. Peter and Sleipnir (and possibly Jory) were old enough to know the truth, but Hela certainly wasn't, and Loki was rather dreading the look on her face when she finally figured out how he put food on the table.

"Where are you going for lunch, Loki?" Fenris asked as he continued to munch on his cereal.

"I'm not sure," Loki admitted as he brushed his fingers through Hela's soft blonde hair. "Tasha is the one that arranged all this." Loki glanced around the apartment and realized his count was off by one. "Where is Sleipnir?" he asked.

Peter sighed and jerked his head towards the door. "Checking on his Dad. I told him not to bother, but he insisted. I haven't heard any shouting though so I guess it's all alright."

Loki frowned at that but knew that he couldn't actually keep Sleipnir from his father. Especially when it was Sleipnir that went over there in the first place. "Keep an ear out for him, will you?" Loki asked as he got up from the chair. Hela settled onto his hip instantly and refused to release his robe. "Shall we go get dressed, beautiful?" he asked the little girl.

Hela agreed happily and so the two of them went into the bedroom. Loki dressed Hela first in some clothes he now kept in his apartment since the kids were often in need of them here. He doubted that Angrboda had noticed their disappearance. Once Hela was dressed in a pink t-shirt and dark blue pants that had stars on the pockets, Loki turned to getting himself ready. The real question though, was what did one wear to try and get a job at an escort service? And then, of course, did Loki _have_ anything like that.

Loki dug around in his closet for nearly fifteen minutes before he found something that he thought was at least marginally suitable. He made sure Hela covered her eyes as he shed his robe and pulled the tight black jeans up his legs. Luckily he was used to tight pants and was able to get into them despite them being perhaps a shade too small. He found a green shirt with yellow edging that hung off his shoulders and tightened around his biceps to stay up but was otherwise not _so_ scandalous -it wasn't worn nearly see through at least- and pulled that on. It was a little loose though, and he had to wonder if maybe this had been Tasha's shirt at some point and she'd left it here without him realizing it. She only rarely visited for longer than a few minutes but it wasn't outside the realm of reasonable. Loki decided that the shirt really was just too big -especially since he didn't have the assets that a woman did- and pulled on a black vest that he recalled being the very last remnants of the suit he'd once owned. It was silver pinstriped and too tight after so many years, but it disguised the fact that the shirt was too big in certain areas. Loki pulled on his least scuffed up boots and all of his different pieces of jewelry before catching a glance of Hela watching him in the mirror of his vanity. "Well, beautiful? What do you think?" he asked her as he slicked his hair back rather than braiding it.

"Very pretty!" she said with a grin.

Loki grinned back as well. "You always were my biggest fan," he said as he turned around and picked her up off the bed. "Now, we have a while before Auntie Tasha comes so how about we play some games together?" he suggested to her instant delight.


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Shield might be an escort service but that's only part of it. Also, your opinions have been taken into account and there won't be any Tony/Loki/Pepper action in this unless its in terms of best bros ever or something. Any guesses as to who Loki's try out will be with?

Loki soon realized that he had been so busy lately trying to make all the frayed ends of his life meet in some semblance of 'having it together' that he hadn't actually spent much time with the kids. Hela's tendency to cling really made sense when Loki realized he couldn't recall where they had left off in the book he'd last been reading to her. It was just a children's book, so it wasn't hard or long, but he'd been so preoccupied he'd entirely blanked on everything about it and decided to start over. Hela, at least, didn't seem to mind. After reading the book with Hela, (who was already starting to pick out the easier words herself and Loki couldn't possibly be prouder of her) Loki settled down at the coffee table with the rest of the kids to put together a 3D puzzle he'd bought for them the last time he'd had a few spare dollars. It wasn't very elaborate, but Loki figured it would be more engaging for both the older and younger kids if it were more than just a picture.

Peter seemed to be quite enthralled by it which might have been because it was a giant puzzle of the international space station and he always seemed to be interested in technology. Loki kept Hela in his lap so that he could make sure she didn't merely force whatever pieces together that she wanted. Fenris quickly grew bored of the puzzle though and disappeared into Loki's bedroom where he'd left his outdated Gameboy the night before.

Loki and the kids only managed to put together one wall of the space station when the door opened and Sleipnir came in. He trudged along and looked miserable and instantly Loki was shifting Hela off his lap to get up. "Sleipnir? What's the matter?" he asked.

"Dad's gone," he muttered. "On one of his binges again, I guess."

Loki probably shouldn't be relieved to hear that, but he was. He honestly couldn't care less what the drunkard did so long as it wasn't laying a hand on his son. "I see... well, you are more than welcome here with me. You know that, right?" he asked as he tilted the boy's chin up to better look at him. His dark eyes were looking watery, and Loki pulled the boy into a hug. "Forget him," Loki murmured and brushed Sleip's braids back. "He's not worth being your father."

"I wish you were my Dad," Sleipnir muttered into Loki's abdomen.

Loki felt something in his chest ache, and he pulled away enough to crouch down so that they were more level. "Hey, listen to me. Family isn't just blood," he said. "Remember, I told you I was adopted?" Sleipnir nodded and wiped his cheeks quickly, and, though Loki couldn't see it well because of Sleipnir's dark skin, Loki knew his cheeks were probably hot with emotions. "Well, it took me a long time to realize this, but just because I was adopted doesn't mean my mother wasn't my mother. Or my brother my brother. I... probably shouldn't have left them, admittedly. But now we've got each other. And the Terrible Trio and Peter. We'll just make ourselves a new family." Sometimes Loki honestly did regret leaving home, but he just hadn't been able to be there any longer. And now he couldn't bring himself to even consider going back. Not after everything that had happened and he'd done.

Sleipnir wrapped his arms around Loki's neck and snuffled against his shoulder. Loki returned the hug. "I've got you, Sleipnir," he murmured.

After several minutes, Sleipnir finally pulled away from the hug and dropped his bag onto the table nearby that should have been a dining room table but was so cluttered they rarely actually ate at it. "Dad won't like it if I don't go home... but I want to stay here," he said.

"Let me deal with your father," Loki said as Hela came over to him and wrapped herself around his side. "When he finally drags himself back home I'll go and talk with him." Well, Loki doubted that much talking would be going on, but Sleipnir didn't need to know all the details about what Loki was thinking of doing. Just the results. He picked up Hela before straightening again and gave Sleipnir a smile. "We were building the space station. Do you want to join?" he asked.

Sleipnir shook his head. "I think I'd rather just stay over here by myself."

"Are you sure?"

Sleipnir nodded, and Loki reluctantly let the matter drop. "Alright. Well, if you change your mind... you're more than welcome to join," Loki told him. Sleipnir said he knew that even as he pulled out a book that Loki was almost certain he'd didn't actually have any interest in. Loki let him be, though.

Shortly before noon, Loki started making lunch for the kids. He was pretty tired still since he hadn't spent the whole morning sleeping like he usually would have, but with a few extra cups of tea, he was sure he would be able to get through whatever the day threw at him. Hela had requested chicken salad, so Loki made up a large bowl for all of the kids to make sandwiches from. Just as Loki was preparing a stack of toast, which Jormungundr preferred over regular bread, he heard a knock on the door.

A quick glance at the time told him it was most likely Tasha. Sure enough, standing on the other side of the door was the redhead looking absolutely stunning. She had on a grey dress with navy blue panels that was surprisingly conservative. It barely showed any cleavage at all and almost even reached her knees. Loki had no idea where she'd gotten it from. Perhaps she'd bought it just for this? "Nice dress," Loki said as he grabbed his wallet and chained it to his belt.

"Thanks. We ready?"

Loki nodded and glanced at the kids. "I'll be back. Look after each other," he told them before entering the hall with Natasha. Once the door was closed, Natasha gave him a very obvious once over as well.

"How did you fit your ass in those pants?" she asked.

"Practice," Loki replied as they headed down the stairs. "Where are we going?"

Natasha reached into her black purse and pulled out a card. "I have it right here. We're meeting with two people. Someone named Coulson and, the lady that came up to me, Hill," Tasha explained. "It's a bit of a walk, though. Not many escort services have offices on this side of the city."

"No clientele, I suppose," Loki mused. "Hey, you remember that paperwork you got me on signing over parental rights?" Natasha confirmed that with a nod. "I'm gonna need them. I'm going to get Sleip's dad to give him to me."

"Really? I thought he wasn't going to do that last time you asked," Natasha said curiously.

Loki sighed. "Well, he was willing under certain... circumstances. I didn't want to do it. But Sleipnir told me today he'd rather be with me, so I'll make it happen even if I don't like the cost," he explained. "Paying a lawyer to finish it up will be a pain though..."

Natasha shook her head. "All the more reason to do this with me. More money means you can pay said lawyer," she reasoned. Several people whistled or catcalled as they made their way down the street but both of them ignored the bystanders. "I'll bring you the papers tomorrow. Out of curiosity, and you don't have to tell me, what exactly is his price?"

Loki made a face. "Let's just say he's got some really really disturbing fantasies he wants to play out," he muttered. "And if you ever tell Sleip about it I will shave your head."

"Now why the hell would I tell the poor kid that?" Natasha asked. "Honestly, what do you take me for?"

"You're a good woman, but sometimes I question your solutions to problems," Loki answered instantly. "But either way, when he shows up again, I'll get him to sign the papers, and that'll be one kid I don't have to worry about as much."

"You'll worry about him anyway. That's what you do," Natasha replied. "You obsess over things. The kids' safety is just one of many."

Loki glared at Tasha but didn't dispute her observation. Chances were she would just whip out three or four examples, and he really didn't need that. She was cocky enough without giving a chance to prove herself right all the time. "By the way, is that my shirt?" Natasha asked suddenly.

"Maybe. I found it in my closet," Loki answered with a shrug. "You want it back?"

"No. It looks better on you," she decided.

The two of them made their way through the city at a constant pace. Loki almost wished they shelled out money for a taxi after about the tenth block, but they never paid for transportation if they could help it. Sometimes the bus but even then not often. True, they also weren't usually going so far.

The buildings started turning nicer and taller and the streets cleaner. The cars parked at the various meters were newer and shinier. This area of the city was starting to vaguely look familiar, and then they turned a corner and spotted Stark Tower smack dab in front of them. Loki almost began to panic as they walked closer and closer but then Tasha veered to the side. The building directly across the street from Stark Tower was apparently their destination.

The skyscraper was nondescript from the outside, and the inner lobby was nice but bland. Natasha's heels clacked against the slate tile flooring as they went to the front desk. Sitting behind the dark wood desk that reached Loki's chest was a lovely woman with blonde hair in a careful up-do and a generous amount of cleavage herself. Natasha slid the card across the desktop to her. "We have an appointment."

The receptionist picked up the card and looked it over far more carefully than Loki would have expected before smiling a perfect set of white teeth and handing it back. She tapped out a few keys at her computer before looking at them again. "Floor thirty-six to your right. Your meeting is in room five." Loki hated to admit it, but he was surprised that she was acting so courteous to them. Natasha and himself might have tried to dress more delicate than usual, but he thought it was still pretty obvious they weren't from this side of town.

Natasha thanked the woman, and the two of them went to the elevator. Only when they were both inside and they were heading up to floor thirty-six, did Loki glance over to gauge Natasha's reaction. She seemed perfectly serene, but Loki didn't entirely buy that. "I wonder if the whole building is theirs or just the floor we're going to," Loki said, mostly to fill the silence.

"I think it's the whole building," Natasha answered. "At least, they're the only company registered to this building in the city records."

Loki hummed in thought and couldn't help but use the highly polished metal of the elevator to glance at himself again. He was definitely regretting not trying to find something more like a typical suit. But without money to spare nor any time, he would have had to settle for one from Goodwill or something like that, and it wouldn't have fit him well anyway. At least the clothes he was wearing currently showed off his assets... if a little too blatantly.

The elevator dinged and a sign on the wall pointed them to the right even if the receptionist in the lobby hadn't already said that. Loki noticed as they walked that the offices here looked terribly ordinary and actually there were far more men than Loki had expected to see. An escort service could, he supposed, be staffed by men just as easily as women it just wasn't typical. A few people looked up at them as they passed before going back to whatever work they were doing. Loki spotted a few of the beautiful women he'd expected chatting down one hall with a man that was quite handsome and wearing workout clothes of all things. There must be a gym nearby.

About halfway down the hall, they reached a door that had the plaque reading 'Conference Room 5' in gold lettering. Natasha went in first followed by Loki just a moment later. Loki wasn't sure what he'd been expecting, but he was almost disappointed by the fairly normal looking room. There was a large table in the room with a frosted glass top and a set of chairs upholstered in a silvery color. In one of the chairs, there was a middle-aged man in a suit with hair that was just starting to thin. He looked up from the various papers he was shuffling as they came in and didn't even appear a little surprised. "You must be Natasha and... friend," the man said in a pleasant voice that somehow made Loki think he'd practiced that tone a lot to get it to sound perfectly interested yet not overly so at the same time.

"That's right. I take it you're Coulson?" Natasha guessed as the man got to his feet, adjusted his tie, and then extended a hand.

"Phil Coulson, that's right," he said as Natasha shook the offered hand. Loki did not. Coulson didn't seem upset by that and just gestured with the hand he'd extended to the seats. "Have a seat. Ms. Hill will be with us shortly."

They did so, and Loki found his attention being drawn to the only art in the room. A painting of an eagle flying on a stormy sky. The grey of the seats matched those clouds near perfectly, he noticed. "I must admit, I'm somewhat surprised. Maria didn't tell me that the friend you were bring was... male," Coulson said after a minute.

"You hid it well," Loki observed.

"Loki's worth his weight in gold," Natasha answered. "He's just as skilled as I am so I saw no reason not to bring him along."

Coulson just inclined his head and scribbled something on one of the papers in front of him. They waited there in silence for another few minutes until the door opened and a woman in a business suit and her brown hair in a ponytail came in with a few files of her own in her hand. "Ah, Natasha. And... friend," she greeted with a smile. "I'm glad you could come."

"Of course," Tasha said as the woman that Loki assumed was Hill sat down on the same side as Coulson. The fact that apparently she _also_ hadn't known Loki was going to be a guy was probably not a good sign, but he wasn't going to shoot his own foot off and be the first to admit he wasn't at all what they'd been looking for.

Hill asked a few basic questions like how old they were (twenty-five for both) and how long they had been working (ten years for Loki and twelve for Tasha) before sliding some papers over to them. Loki picked up his stack and glanced over it. Nondisclosure agreements and medical consent forms it looked like. Not anything that Loki hadn't expected. There was also quite a few pages that Loki could only partially fill in. Things like immigration information and social security numbers and details that he just didn't have. He did go ahead and fill out what bits of his history he was comfortable sharing, which admittedly wasn't much but at least made it look like he was making an effort to be forthcoming. He left all the questions about family entirely blank, though. He read over the documents entirely and double checked his answers to the various questions before signing his name and sliding the stack back. Natasha signed her own set as well, and both piles were put into the files that Hill had walked in with.

"Now, we don't usually take on people we haven't cultivated ourselves, but Natasha received a positively glowing recommendation," Hill said. "From one of our best Agents at that."

"Agents?" Loki echoed.

Coulson was the one to answer. "Shield is divided into two branches. One is, as you might have guessed, in the business of providing company to lonely men who have the money for our services. The other, however, is a... let's call it a bodyguard agency. We provide specialized security for select clients. Along with a few other services. On occasion our Agents and our girls cross responsibilities and often an Agent will be assigned to ensure the safety of our other employees."

Loki glanced over at Natasha and then to Coulson and Hill across from them. That was an... interesting set up to say the least. It sounded like, to Loki, they were only in the escort business at all because it was a convenient side venture that they could use to support other things. "So, these other... services," he began uncertainly. "Would that be something you could get thrown in federal prison for?" Having a group of very seductive women on one's payroll did tend to mean you could weasel secrets out of people easier. And, as far as Loki knew, espionage was illegal across the board.

"We only employ the best for a reason, Mr... Laufeyson," Hill said after quickly checking his name on the papers he'd signed. "And that is not something we ask of our assets very often. Most of our girls are truly just there to make their clients less lonely."

Loki wasn't at all sure if he believed that but he had no proof to the contrary. A quickly glance at Natasha told him she wasn't entirely convinced about that either. Still, if they paid better and gave protection Loki couldn't honestly find it in himself to care all that much. Besides, he was still doubtful they'd hire him in the first place so it _really_ didn't matter. "How many clients would we be expected to handle?" Natasha asked.

"That's up to you," Hill said. "Most girls take somewhere around ten to a dozen clients at a time since most men book a date in advance." Loki didn't fail to notice Hill continually said 'girls' when referring to their escorts. He wondered if she was doing it on purpose or not.

"Of course you'll have to go through a full panel of tests," Coulson said. "And we don't tolerate any drugs. We can't have our assets compromised. Drug screenings are mandatory and not announced beforehand."

Natasha narrowed her eyes just slightly. "Neither Loki or myself are crack whores," she snapped. "We don't waste our money."

"That's good to hear," Coulson said, not seemingly bothered by the idea that he'd offended them. "But we do still have to confirm with urine and hair samples. Procedure is all. We also provide free in-house health care to our assets complete with birth control."

Loki couldn't quite help the snort that escaped. "I take it you really don't have any men working for you then," he said while resting his cheek on his knuckles lightly.

"Not on this side of the business, no," Hill said. "But then, we've never been asked for one either. We're not opposed to having a man on our payroll for such a thing, but justifying it when you'd have no clients is rather more difficult."

"If Loki's not hired then I won't come," Tasha said instantly.

"Don't be silly, Tasha," Loki replied before Coulson or Hill could say anything. "This is hardly surprising. And they're right. Why hire someone nobody is going to want?"

Natasha frowned and looked as if she was about to argue further. "We can continue with the process of hiring Mr. Laufeyson," Hill said. "And keep him in reserve until someone requests someone of his particular talents. Or, rather, anatomy would be more correct here."

"And what all would that entail?" Loki asked curiously. "Aside from the various medical tests, of course."

"Normally, we want to have someone we trust to evaluate the skills of any prospects. Natasha already has someone vouching for her. But unfortunately, her word for your skills wouldn't be enough," Hill answered. "We would have to find someone in our company willing since you're male, but I'm sure we can do so."

Loki frowned as he thought about that. On the one hand, it made perfect sense for them to make sure they weren't just hiring any old streetwalker into their elite group. On the other hand, he doubted he'd be compensated. The only thing he'd gain is the possibility of being hired if they could find someone that wanted a male escort for some reason. It was a gamble that he couldn't see much chance of him winning out on. He was sure that he'd satisfy whoever they brought in. Loki knew he was a good lay. But it still might not pan out, and he was reluctant to essentially give a freebie in the hopes of more work later. "Will you be actively looking for a client for me?" he asked. "Otherwise I see no reason to give out free samples."

"We will," Coulson agreed. "I can't guarantee how fast we'll find you a client, but I'm sure we can work something out for you."

"Hammer might be interested," Hill said thoughtfully. "His tastes seem to change every week."

Loki glanced between the two of them for a moment. It was honestly better than he had been expecting but still not the immediate job that he was sure Natasha (and probably Peter) had been hoping for. Loki sighed and supposed, when he got right down to it, he'd sold himself for far less in the past. This at least might earn him and the kids a better life. As he was, he was spinning his wheels and eventually, if Loki couldn't save up money for when his looks left him, he'd end up spinning out completely. Gambling might be the only way to avoid the inevitable, and he wouldn't be out all that much, in the end. "Alright. If that's what it takes I suppose I can make an exception."

"While you're getting the tests done, we'll set about finding someone for you," Hill said. "Coulson will take you down to the lab." Coulson got up and gestured for them to follow, which they did without a word. Natasha had an odd look on her face though that Loki wasn't quite sure how to read. He'd never seen her look like that before. He had a feeling they'd be having quite the talk later on, and Loki wasn't entirely sure he was looking forward to it.


	7. Chapter 7

The medical area that Coulson took them to was an elevator ride down. Loki was just expecting a clinic-esque room with maybe a table and the basic supplies for checking vitals and taking blood. He ended up being in what looked like a full out doctor's office or rapid care facility, which was so disorienting Loki almost had to do a double-take. Two nurses swept in to take Loki and Natasha into rooms practically as soon as they walked into what felt like a waiting area.

Being poked and prodded was never very high on Loki's list of favorite things, but he had gone to the free clinic to have enough blood tests drawn that he barely even flinched as the steel slipped under his skin. Surprisingly enough, the rooms the nurses brought Natasha and himself to were in a back area looked like an outright hospital wing of some sort. Loki even swore that he spotted a surgical suite behind one door that a nurse had been walking through when they'd passed. His suspicions of this organization only climbed because what escort service had what appeared to be an in-house hospital under it? Shield was apparently the answer to that.

Loki hadn't anticipated the _thoroughness_ of their tests, though. What he anticipated being a few vials of blood drawn, peeing in a cup, and volunteering some hairs turned into a full-blown physical complete with having to strip out of his clothes. He wondered for a minute if perhaps the nurses checking him over didn't realize _what_ he was potentially being hired to do, but then he saw Natasha getting the same overly complete health check as he walked back to his room after getting weighed in the hall and wasn't sure what to think.

"This seems a little... overboard," Loki ventured as he sat back down on the padded table.

"You checked the box that said 'decade or more' for last time you'd seen a doctor," the nurse replied as she scribbled on his chart. "You're overdue. By quite a lot, at that."

"It isn't as if you have anything to compare to," Loki pointed out. He'd said they could check his medical history, but he'd done that because he'd known they wouldn't be able to easily get a hold of it. His last routine doctor had been the family pediatrician, whom Loki couldn't even recall the name of anymore.

The nurse shrugged. "Still better than having information over a decade out of date."

Loki supposed that at the very least he wasn't paying for this so he might as well take advantage of it. He still was less than comfortable at the exam, however. Especially when the actual doctor came in, read over his chart, and insisted on a rectal exam Loki definitely didn't want to allow. He knew the only reason it had been brought up was because of his current 'profession,' and that was discomforting. But, the man had insisted it was needed, and Loki tried to remind himself that it was hardly the first time a stranger's fingers were digging around inside of him.

Once the doctor finally finished, Loki was allowed to get dressed again and met back up with Tasha in the reception-like area that they'd first entered. Coulson was waiting for them in a chair. "The results should be done in a few hours," the doctor was telling him. "I'm not entirely happy with some of their numbers, but overall we've found nothing life-threatening."

Coulson nodded to the doctor and then turned to Loki and Natasha standing in front of him. "Hungry?" he asked.

Loki wasn't really, and he doubted Tasha was either. But neither was going to turn down free food, so they went along with Coulson to yet another floor of the skyscraper. The entire third level of the building seemed to be dedicated to several different restaurants specializing in various sorts of cuisines. Most of the restaurants seemed to be very high-class establishments. When Coulson took them into one of them, Loki couldn't help but feel awkward. It wasn't the first time he'd been in a five-star restaurant, but it had been a long, long time. He wasn't dressed for it either.

Coulson got them a table in a corner just by several large windows that looked out to the street below. "So, do you really employ enough people to fill up all these restaurants?" Natasha asked as the waitress in a sleek black uniform gave them iced water.

"We have enough," Coulson said. "And we like to give our people options."

"And the hospital with surgery rooms?" Loki questioned.

"Keeping as much in-house as possible is just more efficient," he answered. Loki rather doubted that to be the true reason. "Plus, you can trust that nobody outside of our organization will know anything about your private medical information. Considering what your employment will entail, I would think privacy would be high on your list of priorities."

Loki frowned. "We know perfectly well how important privacy is," Natasha replied. "And we do appreciate that it would be easier to keep our business to ourselves. But you do have to agree that it is odd."

Coulson shrugged and steepled his fingers together in front of his chin. "Perhaps but we have our company set this way for simplicity sake, and I've yet to hear any of our employees complain about having everything provided at the same place."

"No, I don't image they would," Loki muttered. "However, I do have a pertinent question to you having medical facilities here. Is it only your employees that you are so careful about the care of?"

"What do you mean?" Coulson asked curiously.

Loki ran his fingers along the edge of the plate in front of him. "Well, you provide birth control to your employees, but what if they already have children? Would your medical coverage extend to them?"

"Or if someone decides to have children anyway?" Natasha asked. "Or are we not allowed to have children?"

Coulson seemed genuinely surprised by the question. Loki supposed that they didn't often get escorts that asked about the possibility of having children. "There is no rule about not having children for you," Coulson began, "we don't tend to have many that want to in their current profession. The few bodyguards we have that already have families bring their children and spouses to us for serious matters but seem to prefer finding their own private care."

"But we could," Loki insisted.

"I don't see why you couldn't," Coulson agreed.

Loki was glad to hear that because he didn't think he'd have any money for private doctors anytime soon, even if they did hire him on practically immediately. The waitress came back over then, and Loki finally turned his attention to the menu in front of him. The fact that there were no prices meant that everything was just insanely expensive. Hoping that Coulson would be covering any cost of this meal, Loki ordered himself a steak.

The meal was filled mostly with Coulson telling them about the basics involved in working with Shield, including answering all sorts of questions about what they would be expected to do. Loki was trying his best to not be too skeptical as he listened to Coulson tout all the benefits of Shield. So far it was sounding too good to be true, which meant it was.

As they were finishing their meal, Coulson's phone went off. He studied the screen for several moments before putting the device away. "Our test results?" Loki guessed.

"That's right. You've done a good job in keeping yourselves from catching anything, apparently," Coulson said. "It's rather surprising, to be honest."

"It hasn't been easy," Natasha offered. "Men don't like to be told that they _have_ to wear condoms."

Coulson inclined his head slightly. "Most of our clients would prefer not to. That's why we screen our assets frequently. But, we have found someone for you, Loki. He's one of our best assets."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," Loki said. "Out of curiosity, does he even like men?"

"He does," Coulson confirmed. "I am surprised that he agreed to this, though. I wouldn't have thought him the type."

Loki shrugged. "In my experience, very few people turn down free sex. Especially with someone who makes it their business to provide it. I suppose we'll be meeting him somewhere nearby?"

"There's a room being made ready for you," Coulson agreed.

"What is this place a hotel too?" Loki asked.

"We have some temporary rooms around for various reasons," Coulson said. "Out of town investors, high ranking members of Shield, other people that might need a room for a short amount of time, and things like that."

Loki and Natasha exchanged a short glance. "I do hope you don't run a brothel out of this building," Loki drawled.

Coulson didn't look in the least bit amused. "No, of course not. We don't make a habit of arranging meetings between escorts and clients in our office buildings. No matter how elaborate those buildings are."

"Well, that's a good thing," Loki stated. Working in a brothel wouldn't be a whole lot better than working for a pimp, in Loki's opinion. He still wouldn't have nearly enough control over the situation as he would want. The only reason he was even considering an escort service at all was due to how much money he stood to make from this. Brothels would no doubt cut into his profits too much for him to tolerate.

Natasha got up from her seat and turned to Loki. "Can I talk to you?"

Loki should have realized this 'talk' was coming sooner opposed to later, but he was still a little surprised Natasha hadn't waited until they were actually alone. "Of course. Excuse us," he said to Coulson before getting up and following Natasha over to an unoccupied corner of the room near the bathrooms, and half hid behind a small indoor tree of some sort.

"When we met and first started using the same corner, do you remember what you asked me to do?" she asked folding her arms across her chest.

"Yes, of course, I do," Loki agreed. Natasha raised an eyebrow and Loki sighed. "To remind me of my rules if I ever seem to be about to break them."

Natasha nodded. "Well you're about to," she pointed out as if Loki hadn't already realized that. "No freebies. Ever."

"This isn't quite the same situation as that, Tasha," Loki reasoned. He had made that rule to stop himself from any sort of emotional entanglements clouding his judgment. On the unlikely chance that a charmer found his way into Loki's life and tried to get free sex, that rule was in place to stop it. "If this leads to me getting a job where I don't have to walk a street corner in the middle of the night where people are constantly trying to take advantage of us, and pays for me to actually be able to feed those kids, then it's worth the gamble."

"You can still demand they compensate you," Natasha pointed out. "This is your body and time we're talking about. We don't give that up for free."

Loki had already told himself all of this before. Multiple times. Natasha repeating it to him now didn't help matters. "Tasha... I have five kids at home. Three of which I don't even think have ever been to a doctor because Boda is just the worst mother ever. You should have seen their faces when I brought home more than a single bag of food the other day. It's heartbreaking. I don't like it either, Tasha. Really I don't. But I have to impress them so that I can even _get_ the _chance_ to move up to something better."

There were several minutes of silence as Natasha studied Loki's face. "If I had known they would ask this of you, I wouldn't have brought you along..." Natasha finally said. "Are you sure this is something you want to do?"

"No, but I have to do something," Loki murmured. "It's not ideal by any means but at least I know I'm trying to get ahead. Plus, I made that rule to make sure that I didn't get stupid with a too charming John. That's not what's going on here. I've never even met this guy that they found before. I'm not likely to fall in love with him."

Natasha still looked skeptical but nodded. "Alright. I guess it's your choice. And... they had better hire you after this. If they don't, I'm going to make sure they realize what a mistake it was."

Loki grinned at the threat. "I'm sure you will. And I'm not worried about getting that recommendation, just a client." Natasha nodded as if agreeing before the two of them made their way back to where Coulson was waiting.

"Everything alright?" Coulson asked.

"It's fine," Natasha answered.

Coulson looked between them cautiously before nodding. "Right. Well, the room is ready if you are, Loki," he said as he put the phone he had been studying back into his pocket.

"Then, I suppose you should show me where it is," Loki said.

Coulson got up from his seat. "Follow me."

Again they took an elevator, this time up to a higher level of the building. 'A few rooms' Coulson had told them. Loki almost snorted at the understatement. The hall they came out of the elevator facing was just like an apartment building with polished brass door numbers and peepholes in all the doors. They even had the electronic locks that were so common in hotels. The hallway was silent as Coulson led them down it and Loki took a moment to really study his surroundings. The cool grey carpet was broken up by geometric white and black shapes that were echoed in the abstract greyscale pictures hanging every few feet or so.

"Just a few rooms, eh?" Loki said as they walked.

"For emergency use, yes," Coulson agreed as if they weren't walking past dozens of presumably empty living quarters. Loki still wasn't sure he believed that, but he hoped that if the rooms _were_ open for use by their escorts him and Tasha could find better and far safer accommodations here.

They passed a sitting area that held a dark brown leather couch and a glass coffee table. Just past the sofa, Coulson gestured at one door. The number was 192 and Loki could hear nothing behind it. "Do you need anything else?" Coulson asked.

"I know what to do," Loki assured him. "I'm going to still use a condom though."

"That's fine," Coulson agreed before pulling out a card and handing it over. "Use the phone in there to call that extension when you're done, and I'll come to pick you up."

Loki nodded in understanding even as Coulson left. Tasha seemed reluctant but after a telling bump against Loki's shoulder, followed Coulson back down the hall. Loki took a deep breath and tucked the card away in his pocket. He hoped whoever they found wasn't going to be too awful to please. Or at the very least not entirely grotesque to look at. He lifted his hand and knocked on the door. Loki tried to not look impatient as he waited.

A few moments later, he heard the lock click, and the door opened to reveal who his partner for the afternoon would be. Loki almost sighed in relief that the man was actually handsome even though there was a vague feeling of having seen him before. But Loki was sure he had to be mistaken. The client's short sandy blonde hair and trusting blue eyes was just far too clean cut to be a past client. "Hey there," Loki greeted since the man standing there in the doorway with his white t-shirt and khaki pants seemed a little bewildered. "The name's Loki."

"Steve."

Loki nodded and, after an awkward moment, pointed to the apartment he just saw over Steve's broad shoulders. "Mind if I come in?"

"Wha? Oh! Right, sorry about that!" Steve said before stepping back to let Loki into the room.

Loki glanced around what turned out to be a full-on condo with a kitchen to the left side, and a hall leading to what he assumed was at least one bedroom. The place was decorated with the same neutral pallet of the rest of the building but had a few more personalized bits, and bobs scattered about that Loki assumed came from Steve. "Um, can I get you something?" Steve asked as he walked by Loki.

"I'm fine," Loki assured him. Steve nodded and went into the kitchen where he seemed to find something to fidget with. Loading dishes into the dishwasher it looked like. Loki hummed thoughtfully and approached but kept several feet away so that he didn't crowd the other man. "You don't usually do this sort of thing, do you?" Loki supposed.

Steve looked up and then blushed. "No, not usually. In fact, I've never done something like this before."

"Then did you not volunteer?" Loki questioned. He had been under the impression that whoever they'd found would be volunteering. Then again Coulson had said something about the person they found being a surprise to him, so perhaps they'd gang pressed the man into this. That idea didn't sit well with Loki in the least.

"Ah, well, I did..." Steve sounded awkward and ran a hand through his short hair in agitation. "It's just -don't take this the wrong way or anything- but I only really volunteered because they were talking to Grant about it and something about that guy really makes me not trust him. They shouldn't be making you do this anyway, but I figured if you had to, at least if it were with me I would know that you were being treated right."

Loki's eyebrow went up, but then he smiled. "Well, aren't you a knight in shining armor," he said teasingly. The man's cheeks went pink, and Loki chuckled. "Thank you for your concern over me. I'm sure you'll be much better than that Grant person." Steve nodded and still seemed nervous. Loki studied his still vaguely familiar face for a moment. "I'm sorry if this is out of left field, but I swear I've seen you before..."

"You probably have. I was in the news a lot about six months back," Steve said.

Loki thought back and rummaged through his memory of what was going on at that time. After a moment it clicked. "Oh! You're the gay war hero that had everyone up in arms when they drummed you out of the military even though you saved all those lives," he realized.

Steve turned pink again. "That's me..."

"Huh," Loki tried to recall what he could about the man but he'd honestly barely paid attention to the stories in the news about him. He'd had far more pressing personal issues to deal with. "So, why are you here at Shield?"

"They made the best offer," Steve said with a shrug. "And they were willing to give Bucky the therapy he needed above what the government would."

Loki remembered the name Bucky from the various news articles. "Ah, your significant other, right? The one you went into enemy territory to retrieve after he was captured?" Steve nodded in agreement. "He won't be upset that you're here with me will he?"

"He might," Steve muttered. "If he were still around... Buck took off a few months after we got here. I've been trying to find him but, well, Bucky is special ops. If he wants to stay hidden, he will. And it seems as if he does."

"Ah, I'm sorry to hear that," Loki told him. He should have known better than to ask a client about their partner but his curiosity had gotten the better of him. That combined with how shockingly easy Steve seemed to be to talk to, had left Loki blurting out the question without thinking.

Steve nodded. "It's alright. Buck's going through a real hard time adjusting so I guess it's not that surprising he'd do something like this. He's always had this silly idea of needing to protect me, and during his flashbacks sometimes he gets a little hard to handle. He's never hurt me, but he probably thought he would. When I finally do find him, I'll make sure he realizes he doesn't have to run off like that again," Steve said. Loki could practically _see_ the adoration Steve had for Bucky on his face and felt like he really shouldn't be there, at least, not for the reasons he was.

"He's lucky to have you... even if he doesn't know it yet," Loki told him.

Steve gave him a smile and seemed to have finally relaxed a little. "Sorry about laying that on you. I doubt you want to hear about my problems."

Loki shook his head. "To the contrary. I'm here to make you feel good and if that happens to be in the form of listening to your problems, well, then I can do that just as well. Besides, I did ask." Loki studied Steve, who -even though he'd relaxed- still seemed to be carrying some sort of strain. The man was drawn out and probably not actually looking for a bed warmer. Loki glanced behind him at the large micro-suede couch against the living room wall. Cautious to not upset the other man, Loki moved forward and took Steve by the arm. Steve seemed bewildered again but let Loki lead him over to the couch. "Was there anything specific that made your Bucky run off?"

"He ran off after a nightmare. He wouldn't tell me what it was about. I doubt he would have said anything at all if it weren't for the fact that he woke me up screaming," Steve said as he sat down on the couch heavily. Loki curled up on the couch beside him and just allowed Steve to do or say what he wanted. "It hasn't been very long since he left but... I miss him."

"Of course you do," Loki said. "You love him very much. Anyone would be able to see it."

Steve nodded. "We've always been there for each other, and I just wish he'd let me be there for him now. I might not always know how to make him feel better anymore, but I'd try."

Loki gave Steve's shoulder a squeeze before a framed picture on the side table caught his attention. Steve was in a park with a dark-haired man leaning against him, one muscular arm hooked around Steve's neck to pull them closer to each other. Loki reached over and picked up the photograph. "Is this him?" he asked.

"... yeah," Steve said as he took the frame from Loki. "We took this just before we were deployed overseas. Before everything went pear-shaped. I haven't seen him smile like this in a long time."

"He's quite handsome," Loki observed.

Steve nodded in agreement even as his fingers brushed over the brunette's smiling face behind the glass. Loki's eyes roved over the heartbroken man in front of him for a moment before he got up and went to the sliding glass doors that led to the balcony outside. Steve looked up in confusion as Loki drew the thick curtains across them and then turned off all the lights in the room. The living room wasn't pitch dark but dim enough that it would be easier. Loki went back to Steve and gently pulled the picture out of his hands to set down on the coffee table. "For now," Loki murmured as he slid into Steve's lap, "pretend I'm him."

"I can't do that to you," Steve protested as he pulled back although Loki's legs prevented him from escaping.

"You aren't doing it _to me_... I'm doing it _for you,_ " Loki said as he mussed his hair so that the dark strands would fall more in his face the way that the picture of Bucky had displayed. "You don't want me, Steve. You want him. I'm here, but he's not. It's alright to pretend. I promise."

Steve was still frowning. "But... it's wrong to use you like that."

Loki couldn't help but smile. Steve was sweet and honest and not at all what Loki had been expecting to meet tonight. It actually warmed something in Loki's heart to find someone who he thought would never be able to exist, so Loki was willing to help him. Besides, Loki was nothing if not pragmatic. He knew not all of his clients were thinking about him when they were together. At least Steve would be doing it for what Loki considered a good reason. Loki lifted a hand and pushed his fingers through Steve's short hair. "What did he call you when you were in bed together?"

Steve hesitated. "... darling," he murmured finally. "He called me darling."

Loki nodded and leaned forward to press a kiss to Steve's cheek and then moved his mouth back to hover over his ear. "It's alright, Darling," Loki murmured. He made sure his voice was low enough that Steve would be able to mistake it for someone else's. "I'm here now."

Loki could feel Steve stiffen under him and pushed himself up higher to be on his knees and his face placed above Steve so his actual features would be more shadowed. He pressed a tender kiss to the blonde's temple. After a minute, Steve's arms came around Loki, and he sighed. Loki allowed Steve to pull him closer. Steve rested his head against Loki's chest. "That's right," Loki murmured as he ran his fingers through Steve's hair. "Let me help you, Darling."

Steve just kept holding Loki close for several moments, and Loki allowed him to just adjust to the differences between Bucky and himself. After a few minutes of just holding him, Steve looked up at him. Loki was confident that between the darkness of the room and his hair hanging in his face that he would look enough like Bucky to give Steve some comfort. Loki leaned down and kissed Steve's cheek near his mouth but not actually on his lips.

Steve let out another broken sigh and then let his hands move over Loki's body. Loki gave him a reassuring smile and ran his hands down from Steve's hair to rest of his shoulders. Steve seemed content to just hold Loki for the moment, and Loki allowed it. He didn't want to push the man too far too soon.

Loki rubbed Steve's shoulders as the blonde clung to him. After a little while of Steve just cuddling with him, Steve lifted his head just enough to brush his lips against Loki's neck and collarbone. Loki ran his fingers through Steve's hair again. "That's it, Darling," Loki murmured, doing his best to not let his accent be too noticeable since he doubted that Bucky would have such a speech pattern.

Steve continued to kiss over Loki's skin. Loki pulled back just enough to undo the buttons if his vest and shrugged out of it. Steve's hands hesitantly moved from near Loki's waist up under his shirt. Loki noticed that Steve paused for a moment and almost pulled back when he felt bare skin. "It's alright," Loki assured him. "Touch wherever you want, Darling."

Steve still didn't seem entirely comfortable, so Loki pulled his own shirt off and then dropped it off to the side. Loki didn't give Steve a chance to protest and instead just pulled Steve's shirt off as well so that they were both bare-chested. "... Loki-"

"Shh, It's alright," Loki murmured.

"But-"

Loki pressed a hand to Steve's lips and then leaned down and pressed a few kisses against the blonde's neck. Loki ran his hands over Steve's bare chest as he let his mouth wander. Steve didn't react at first but, after several moments of Loki's encouragement, began to rub Loki's back and let his own lips press against Loki's skin as well. Loki allowed Steve to slowly forget that he wasn't the person that he actually wanted with a few murmurs of encouragement when Steve seemed to falter.

Eventually, Steve's hands wandered down to Loki's backside, and Loki obligingly undid his fly to loosen the tight jeans. Steve paused again, but then his hands slipped under the fabric to fondle Loki's bare backside. Loki let his mouth wander further down Steve's chest while his hands moved down to undo the blonde's khaki's. Loki was glad that -as his hand slipped into Steve's pants- he found a steadily growing erection. "That's it, Darling," Loki murmured against Steve's chest. "Let me make you feel good."

Steve groaned as Loki began stroking his erection. Loki teased one of Steve's nipples with his teeth and lips until the little nub was rock hard and Steve let out a moan. Loki rubbed his thumb against the tip of Steve's growing erection. "Do you like that?" Loki asked as his free hand moved up to tease Steve's other flat nipple.

"I do," Steve breathed.

Loki couldn't quite help but grin and straightened so that he could pull Steve's pants further down his legs. "Then how about I give you something else you'll like, Darling?"

Steve put a hand on Loki's chest to make him pause. "Hold on a sec..."

"What's the matter, Darling?" Loki asked as he brushed his hands through Steve's hair again.

"I... me and Buck..."

Loki studied the man for a moment before he realized what he must have been trying to say. If he was interpreting things correctly, this was going to be far from Loki's normal interactions, but he didn't mind that in the least. "It's alright, Steve," Loki assured him. "I'm not here to make you uncomfortable. Whichever way you want to spend our time together is just fine."

Steve was quiet for a moment before leaning up and kissing Loki. Loki couldn't quite help but stiffen. He didn't want anyone to kiss him on the mouth for a reason, but he wasn't going to push the hurting man away from him either. Loki allowed Steve to finish the kiss in his own time and then pull away. "There's no need for that," Loki murmured. "Here, lay down."

With just a small push, Loki managed to make Steve slide down to lay on the couch. While Loki wanted to help Steve miss Bucky less, he also knew better than to do something that would make the man feel guilty later. Such as making things too romantic or doing things _exactly_ like Bucky would. He wanted to be similar enough to make Steve have his fantasy but also not so similar that it would cause upset. That was a tricky line to walk, but Loki would do his best to achieve it.

Steve's pants were easier to tug off when he was lying down, and Loki quickly shed them as well as his own and Steve's underwear. Loki leaned over to press his mouth to Steve's chest again even as his hand slid up the blonde's muscular thigh. Loki kept his eye on Steve's reactions as his hand gently cupped the man's privates to give him some more attention.

Loki's fingers massaged and stroked Steve's manhood and balls for several moments until the blonde moaned. Steve's hand came up to tangle in Loki's dark locks and his legs parted. Loki smiled at that and placed another few kisses against the curve of Steve's muscular pectorals. Without entirely abandoning Steve's manhood, Loki moved his hand so that he could rub across the other man's tightly puckered hole and the tender flesh of his perineum both. Steve made a very intriguingly breathy noise of want and Loki didn't hesitate to stroke the area again.

Loki moved down Steve's body so that he could run his talented tongue over the other man's erection. Steve practically jumped out of his skin at the feeling of the hot mouth at his already very hard manhood and tightened his grip on the strands of long dark hair reflexively. Loki blew across the moist tip of Steve's erection even as his palm pressed against the man's balls and his finger rubbed behind them. Steve's hips bucked and Loki tilted his head to better trace the thick vein along Steve's underside with his tongue. Steve groaned again, and his legs parted even more. Loki took immediate advantage and carefully pushed the tip of his finger against the tight ring of muscles.

Steve was writhing slightly, and his hand not in Loki's hair was holding onto the back of the couch with a grip the turned his knuckles white. Loki wrapped his lips around Steve's erection and earned himself a brief cry of pleasure. Loki sucked and licked at Steve's manhood for several minutes until Steve was a panting mess, and then he reached down to the floor with his free hand to find his pants. Once he had a grip on them, he blindly fumbled with the fabric until he managed to get his wallet out.

Though Loki hadn't intended to have sex here, by force of habit he'd stashed several condoms and small single-use packets of lube in his wallet. Loki continued to work his mouth and making Steve moan with pleasure as he managed -with the aide of years of practice- to fish out the lube and a condom from the worn piece of leather.

Loki pulled away from Steve's erection for a moment to open the lube and pour it over his fingers. Steve barely had a chance to open his eyes before Loki's mouth was back around his length and sucking hard. Steve cried out again and threw his head back from how intensely wonderful Loki's mouth actually felt. Loki used his lube-slick fingers to rub and prod at Steve's hole. Once he was sure he'd spread the clear fluid enough, Loki began to carefully work a single finger into Steve's backside.

Steve hissed in discomfort, but Loki quickly distracted the other man by swirling and flicking his tongue over the sensitive tip of the erection he was sucking on. Loki wanted to be careful, so he was slow in working his first finger inside of Steve's body. He could tell just from how tight the blonde's muscles were that he hadn't done this in a while. Loki slowly worked his fingers and spread the lube while distracting Steve from the discomfort with his mouth. Loki was very careful but thorough and ensured that Steve was able to adjust to each finger before he added another.

Only once Steve was prepared enough for Loki's satisfaction (and subsequently, an aroused mess of sweaty limbs and dirty sounding cries), did Loki finally pull his mouth and hand away from Steve's body. He had been very careful to not let Steve actually reach his end just yet and only used his mouth to keep the blonde on edge and always wanting more. Loki quickly sheathed his own erection in a condom and moved higher over Steve so he could arrange himself properly between the blonde's legs. "Are you ready, Darling?" Loki asked as he held onto Steve's hip.

Steve hesitated for a moment but then nodded. Loki leaned forward to give the man a quick kiss on the cheek before beginning to rock his hips forward. Steve hissed in discomfort, but Loki leaned forward and nibbled on Steve's neck and collarbone. The two of them moved together slowly, and Loki tangled one hand with Steve's to help the blonde better deal with being entered.

Loki continued to slowly rock his hips and work himself deeper into Steve's tight body. He couldn't quite help but groan at how intense the feeling was. After several minutes, Loki finally managed to work himself fully inside and paused, both to give Steve a moment to adjust and to help get control of himself as well. Steve all but whimpered and gripped Loki's fingers tighter. Loki almost thought that his fingers would break from how strong Steve actually was, but he tolerated it and pressed comforting kisses to Steve's cheek and forehead.

Steve panted for several moments before opening his eyes to look up at Loki. "Are you alright, Darling?" Loki asked softly. Steve took a moment but then nodded. Loki gave him a smile and kissed his cheek once more before starting to slowly begin rocking his hips again. Steve groaned, and his eyes slid shut. "You feel so good," Loki told him as he very gradually picked up the pace of his thrusts.

The pace continued to slowly build while Loki did his best to be gentle and patient despite how his every urge was the opposite right then. Steve was clearly enjoying it with the little gasps of pleasure he was letting out and how hard his length was where it was pressed between their bodies. Loki didn't let his fingers or mouth be idle and found sensitive spots to stroke or kiss to make the other man writhe beneath him. Steve's one hand came to tangle in the long dark strands of Loki's hair while murmuring something that was hard for Loki to clearly hear. Loki didn't allow himself to get distracted and continued to get Steve to feel as much pleasure at one time as possible. After several more minutes, Loki finally was able to make out what Steve was murmuring. "Bucky..."

Loki almost smiled but couldn't quite do it and instead picked up his pace a little more. Steve's entire body was rocking with each of Loki's movements, and sweat was beading over their skin to make their bodies slide against each other a little easier. Loki heard Bucky's name again as his hands brushed over Steve's thighs. Steve still had his eyes closed, but Loki thought that was probably for the best. He didn't know how the other man would react if the illusion were suddenly broken.

The two men continued to come together over and over, occasionally shifting on the couch or how fast they were going. Eventually, Steve could not hold back any longer and found his end with Bucky's name still fresh on his lips and in his mind. Loki almost bit out a curse at how Steve's body reacted to the climax as he hadn't been prepared for it, but he managed to control himself. Loki thrust a few more times into Steve before he too found his pleasure inside the latex.

Neither man was in a rush to disrupt things but, after several moments of catching his breath, Loki pulled away from Steve. Steve still laid there with his eyes closed as his chest started to rise and fall slower by the moment. Loki glanced over before getting to his feet to head to the hall bathroom to clean up.

When Loki returned, he found Steve sitting up on the couch with a pillow across his lap even though he was probably getting it dirty. Steve looked like he was feeling incredibly guilty -perhaps even on the verge of tears-, which was the opposite of what Loki had wanted. Loki crossed the still dark room to sit down beside Steve again. "It's alright you know," Loki began.

"It's not," Steve replied quickly. "I shouldn't have let you convince me to think of Bucky."

Loki leaned over and gave Steve a kiss on the cheek. "It _is_ alright, Steve. I know you'd rather have him and I can't honestly say if what you're feeling right now is normal or not. But I'd think it was. So long as you felt good, even for a little while, then I did my job."

"... I did," Steve agreed softly.

Loki couldn't help but smirk. "We don't have to repeat this ever again, Steve," Loki reminded him. "And I do hope you find your Bucky again. Then you can return to having him leaning over you for real."

At first, Steve glared at Loki for the comment, but it only lasted a moment before he sighed and nodded. "I suppose, you're right. But sometimes we do it the other way..."

"I don't doubt it," Loki assured him. "But, either way, you'll get him back and won't have to pretend again."

There were several moments of silence between the two men. "You're not... quite what I expected," Steve finally admitted. "But, I'm glad," he added before Loki could respond. "And... thank you."

Loki's smirk turned into a more genuine grin. "Believe me, it was no hardship at all."


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

>  **WARNING**   
>  Unhealthy sexual situations going on here. No discussion of consent or kink limits and abusive language. This is basically a hairs-breadth away from being rape.

After Steve, Loki gave himself a few days off, but, much like he expected, his need for money to pay bills forced him back onto the streets before very long. He still hadn't heard anything from Shield although he knew that Natasha (who was now living in Shield's temporary quarters) was pestering them endlessly to find him a client. Loki appreciated it immensely since he found he was a lot less comfortable being on the street without Natasha. Sure, they were often separated for most of the night, but they knew when to expect each other back and kept in contact via texts. Now that safety net was gone. Loki still texted Natasha throughout the night, half out of habit and half because it was good that someone was aware of where he generally was.

Natasha's customers weren't thrilled that she had moved off of the corner, but Loki was able to convince a good few of them to settle for him instead. As Loki climbed out of a beat-up old Toyota he'd just helped his customer dirty the backseat of, he noticed a familiar blood-red hoody and black leather jacket waiting by his usual light post. Loki sighed as he stepped up beside the other man. "You don't want a piece of me."

"No. But I need to talk to you."

Loki hummed to show he was listening as he leaned his shoulder against the post. "Talk away, Wade, but I won't change my mind."

The scarred man frowned. "You can't keep Spidey away from me, Loki," Wade said. "He likes me. And I like him."

"He's too young, and you're crazy," Loki pointed out.

" _You're_ crazy," Wade shot back.

Loki rolled his eyes at the childish reply. "I do not take anti-psychotics now, do I? Then again, neither do you and that is part of the problem, now isn't it?"

Wade harrumphed but didn't answer right away. After several moments, Wade looked over at Loki although with how low his hood was pulled most of his face was still hidden. "I don't take them because I don't need them, your highness. Just because I know things you don't know doesn't mean I'm crazy."

"You hear voices," Loki said flatly and ignored the odd form of address. Wade often called him 'highness' even though Loki was in no way royalty. Loki supposed it was just a slight against him being 'arrogant' or something like that. He'd heard such things before from plenty of people. "And anyway, it's not even legal. He's not eighteen."

Wade practically pouted. "We haven't done anything!"

Loki sighed. "Listen, I appreciate what you did three years ago. I really do... but he's just a kid. A kid I am trying desperately to get to go back to school so he can be better than this place. You do want what's best for him don't you?" Loki asked.

"Of course I do," Wade answered. "He's my favorite Spidey out of all them."

"Then let him be better. He's got a real chance of getting off the streets and making something of himself. He won't do that if he stays here with you!" Loki argued.

"I won't let anything happen to him," Wade replied. "You know I wouldn't."

Loki sighed. "Can you really blame me for being worried, Wade?" Loki asked. He knew that Wade honestly didn't mean Peter any harm, but the entire relationship only promised to explode and hurt Peter, which Loki couldn't possibly allow. The poor kid had been through enough. And honestly, Wade had too. He'd managed to survive war zones as a mercenary, the less than genteel world of organized crime's most sought after hitman, got out of that life when he fell in love with Vanessa, beat cancer not once but twice, only to then end up in a horrific car accident that burned most of his body and led to Vanessa dying three days later from what had -at first- seemed like minor injuries. Loki did feel bad for the man but him clinging to Peter wasn't healthy for either of them.

"Like you do perfectly healthy things," Wade grumbled. "Your coping mechanisms aren't any better than mine."

"Wade, I'm not going to stand here and argue with you about this. My answer is final," Loki said firmly. "Leave Peter be."

"I can't. You don't understand how much I can't."

Loki sighed again and ran a hand through his hair. The half that wasn't braided back out of his face was tousled with the movement, but it had been plenty messy before anyway. "... How about a deal?" Loki asked. Wade lifted his non-existent eyebrow. "You get Peter to go back to school... even part time... then I'll shut up about him spending time with you. But no sex. I mean it. He's underage, and I will rip off your man bits with a rusty fork."

Wade let out a little noise and recoiled slightly. "I'd really rather you didn't..."

"Then don't have sex with my son," Loki replied casually.

Wade pondered that for a second before gasping. "He's like your _ward!_ So close and yet so far from Batman and Robin... oh, it could be so fun... Although I suppose if he were Iron Man's Ward it would be even closer. Oh well, this is kind of better anyway."

"... right," Loki said although he was a little bewildered. Who in the hell was Iron Man? Obviously, it was one of Wade's little fantasies rearing up again. Loki thought it was probably best if he just let it go with as little comment as possible. "Well, now that that's straightened out, could you clear off? I am trying to make a living here, you know."

"You should go back to magic," Wade commented. "It's better for your soul than this."

Loki couldn't manage to get in another comment as Wade wandered off with a rather disturbing hitch to his step that almost looked like he was _skipping_ of all things. "And he wonders why people think he's insane..." Loki muttered.

After several more hours on the corner, Loki made his way home. He was early enough to make breakfast for the kids that went to school, so he turned his attention to that first thing. He was just giving Fenrir a little nudge on the shoulder to ensure he actually got up when Loki heard a knock at the door.

Not having been expecting anyone, Loki picked up a knife from the kitchen before daring to see who it was. Loki was surprised but glad to see Natasha at the door. "I wasn't really expecting to see you," he said as he put the knife back in the block.

"Well, you did ask me for something," Tasha pointed out as she held up a manila folder.

"Ah, right," Loki took the legal documents and leafed through them quickly. All the places that needed to be signed by Sleipnir's birth father were highlighted in bright yellow. "Thanks, Tasha."

Tasha nodded, "Of course. I'm still pestering Coulson about finding you someone. I'm sure it won't be long. I snuck a peek at what Steve said, and he seemed to really like you. I swear, if I didn't know better I'd say it almost sounded like he was a little in love with you."

Loki smirked. "Maybe he was, but only because I have long dark hair and he seems to have a thing for that on guys."

"Ah, I see," Natasha said. "Well, either way, it was a glowing recommendation, like I knew you'd get. So I'll keep on them like herpes until they find you a client."

"I have no doubts," Loki said. "Can you stay for a while? I should go... talk with my neighbor."

Natasha frowned but then nodded. "I can stay. You sure about this?" she asked, making sure to be quiet so none of the kids still in the apartment could easily hear.

Loki took a moment to really consider before nodding. "Yes, If this is what it takes to keep one of them safe then I won't mind," he murmured. Well, he would _mind_ , but he would ignore that and endure. "Besides, I've done kinky stuff I didn't find arousing before. This'll hardly be new." Natasha still looked skeptical but Loki just assured her again he knew what he was doing and headed over to Svadilfari's apartment and pounded on the door.

A solid ten minutes later and several more knocks, and the door finally opened to reveal Sleipnir's father. The black man was one of the most intimidating people Loki had ever had the misfortune to have met. He was nearly half over seven feet tall and built like a brick wall. Currently, he was only wearing ratty gym shorts, which left the several menacing gang tattoos across his chest and arms exposed. Svadilfari eyed Loki for a moment. "What do you want?" he asked.

"Can I come in?" Loki asked.

Svadilfari seemed suspicious but also curious so stepped back to let the smaller man into the apartment that was mostly dominated by a TV and towers of empty beer cans. Loki did his best to not show his discomfort as the door closed behind them. "So, what does the whore of the apartments want?" Svad asked as he brushed past Loki to pick up an already open beer. It wasn't even nine in the morning yet, but Loki was hardly surprised. He didn't think Svadilfari drank anything _but_ alcohol.

"I want Sleipnir," Loki said before holding up the manila folder.

"We've had this talk," Svadilfari pointed out.

"I know," Loki admitted. He hesitated for a minute. "... I remember what you wanted."

Svadilfari suddenly looked a lot more interested and let his eyes roam Loki's body hungrily. "You told me not a chance."

"... sign Sleipnir over to me... and I'll do it," Loki said.

Svadilfari was clearly undressing Loki with his eyes, so Loki was surprised when the large man shrugged and said, "No."

"What!? Why the hell not?"

"You were very rude to me last time," Svadilfari said. "Acting like a haughty little bitch even though you're a dirty little street walking whore. So you have to make it up to me. Get on your knees... and beg."

Loki saw red, and it took every bit of self-restraint to not hiss. "What?" He could practically feel himself trembling in anger.

Svadilfari pointed to the floor. "On your knees and beg," he repeated as if Loki were stupid. "Beg me to use you like the whore you are... for me to fuck you until _I_ am satisfied. I want you to beg to be my toy. To be violated by me and do it happily. Then I'll fuck you so hard you won't walk straight for a month. Then... after I'm done making you into my bitch... then I'll sign your papers." Loki wanted to rage.

How dare the drunkard want him to do something like that! Svadilfari's grin grew, and he pointed to the floor again. Loki had no choice if he wanted custody of Sleipnir. Loki gritted his teeth and forced himself to swallow his pride. He had done worse, he reminded himself over and over. Too bad nothing worse was currently coming to mind.

Loki tried to not look angry as he slowly went to his knees in front of Svadilfari. The man was enjoying this far too much. Loki closed his eyes to try and contain his temper and painted the most contrite, pleading look on his face that he could muster when all he wanted to do was storm out. "Please... please use me like the whore I am," Loki made himself say. "Please. I-I'll be happy so... I'm begging you to violate me over and over. Please fuck me hard until you are happy. Please make me into your toy..."

"Apologize for being a bitch," Svadilfari insisted.

Loki took another moment to contain his anger. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry I treated you badly and was a bitch." Svadilfari's grin made Loki want to knock his teeth down his throat, but he restrained himself. "... Please, use me however you want, and I promise I won't complain."

Svadilfari laughed and crossed the room in just a few steps. Loki was forced to crane his head back to look at the man towering over him. "Well then... since you asked so nicely, whore... I suppose I _will_ use you to my heart's content," he said before pushing the waistband of his shorts down and pulling out his large cock that was already half aroused from making Loki beg on his knees to be violated. "See this? You're going to be a slave to this big black cock until it can't cum anymore." Loki wanted to snap back a retort along the lines of Svadilfari not being as big as he thought he was but he fought the urge. Not only was it not true but he needed Svadilfari to sign the papers. "Open wide, whore. Show my cock what a good sleeve you are."

Loki's eyes promised retribution, but, for now, he pushed that all down where the rest of his emotions were. He couldn't afford to be feeling anything right now. Instead of arguing, Loki did as he was told and opened his mouth wide. Svadilfari tangled his hand roughly in Loki's hair. "Stick your tongue out. Pant like the dog you are and show me how much you want my dick," Svadlifari ordered wickedly as he stroked himself right in front of Loki's face.

Loki reluctantly did as he was told. He clenched his hands into fists by his sides as he loudly panted with his tongue hanging out as if he actually wanted to be doing this. "That's a good bitch," Svadlifari almost cooed before shoving his manhood roughly into Loki's open mouth and down his throat. Though Loki no longer had a working gag reflex, the sudden invasion made him choke and try to pull back, but the rough grip on his hair kept him from being able to do so. Svadlifari wrapped his other massive hand around the back of Loki's jaw and his spasming throat to force the smaller man's head into a better angle. Loki's hands gripped the smooth material of Svadlifari's gym shorts even as Svad started slamming his hips forward into Loki's face hard and fast.

"You have a tight throat for a used up whore," Svadlifari grunted as he tilted Loki's head back further. "Probably tighter than your ass, huh?" he laughed even as he pulled Loki by the hair.

Loki couldn't help but struggle but Svadlifari barely even seemed to notice as he plunged his cock forward over and over. Tears built up in Loki's eyes as he tried to gasp in air on the few rare chances he was given. He was continually choking, and the muscles of his throat were already achingly sore from the brutal treatment. Loki tried to relax so that it wouldn't hurt as badly but the speed that things had escalated really made that hard to do.

"I can feel my dick in your throat," Svadlifari said as he squeezed his hands just slightly to feel Loki's throat bulge and spasm. Loki was barely paying his words any attention but panicked slightly at the feeling of his fingers tightening. Svadlifari grinned down at the wide-eyed other man. "Don't look so worried. I'm not gonna kill ya. You'd be no fun to fuck if you didn't squirm," he said wickedly.

After another few moments of being forced to deep throat Svadlifari's cock, Loki was finally granted a small reprieve. Svadlifari pulled his hips back enough so that Loki could finally get a lung full of air opposed to half cut off gasps. "See?" Svadlifari asked. "You should thank me for being so nice by swallowing everything I'm about to give you." Loki was about to protest that when Svadlifari slammed his hips forward again.

Loki was nearly bent backwards as Svadlifari pounded his mouth so hard it made Loki's nose slam uncomfortably into Svadlifari's abs. "Shit, yes!" Svadlifari shouted as he started moving even faster. "This is what that smart ass mouth of yours is really for!" Loki couldn't help the noises of protest that were muffled by Svadlifari's manhood as the larger man grew even rougher than before. Loki could taste the other man's pre filling his mouth and throat and cringed at the bitterness.

"Get ready, whore!" Svadlifari said through grit teeth. "Take your first 'payment' right down your throat!"

Loki struggled more, but after only a few more thrusts where Svadlifari barely even pulled back, the larger man came. Loki choked and struggled, but Svadlifari's grip on his head was too strong. "Swallow it like a good whore," Svadlifari hissed. Loki had little choice if he wanted to breath and reluctantly swallowed the other man's seed. Svadlifari kept his cock buried in Loki's throat the whole time and grinned down in satisfaction.

Finally, he released Loki's head and stepped back. Instantly, Loki doubled over to cough and wipe at his throbbing mouth. He was feeling somewhat lightheaded after that due to the lack of oxygen, and he really wanted something to wash his mouth out with. So busy trying to get the black spots in his vision to go away, Loki didn't notice that Svadlifari had left the room for a minute. He did, however, notice when the man shook something that rattled. Loki looked up quickly and saw a bit gag attached to honest-to-God leather reins and what looked to be real police handcuffs. "Now that that smart mouth of yours has been my sleeve, it's time for the rest of you. I believe you asked me to violate you over and over..." Loki very much wasn't looking forward to this and steeled himself for what was to come.

When Loki finally stumbled back into his apartment with the papers signed and more than a few bruises and a pronounced limp, it was hours later, and Natasha looked murderous. "I'm going to kill him," she hissed even as she helped Loki to his bathroom.

Loki waved her comment away. "I won't have to deal with him again," he rasped as he filled the tub with hot water and threw in a hearty supply of Epsom salts to try and combat the soreness. "And he did what I wanted."

"No, he did what he wanted because he had your kid," Natasha corrected.

Loki could point out that Sleipnir wasn't technically his son yet, but he wasn't up to doing so. He just wanted to curl up and sleep for the next year. Natasha helped him shed his tight clothes, and Loki did his best to ignore her reactions to the marks on his body and tried to hurry so that Tasha couldn't get a good look at them. They would heal and when they did Loki would do his best to forget how they got put there. The hot water made Loki hiss in discomfort, but he was also aware he'd like it before too long, so he leaned back against the tub and closed his eyes.

"I was getting worried about you," Tasha said as she sat on the edge of the tub and started undoing the ruined braid in Loki's hair. "It never takes you that long to get off dumb gang bangers like Svadlifari."

"He popped a Viagra sometime in the middle," Loki murmured. "Asshole."

"Understatement," Tasha replied. "He's a sadist. Your mouth is all cut up... what did he do to cause that?"

Loki didn't want to get into it in the least. He'd much rather just try and forget the whole ordeal had happened. "Bit gag," he answered shortly only so that Natasha wouldn't go and beat the information out of Svadlifari. "No big deal."

"The hell it's not," Natasha grumbled. "The minute I find a customer that is bi or gay or whatever I am so getting you out of here." Loki's cut up mouth curved a little. "And then I'm coming back here and cutting his dick off." Loki couldn't help but outright laugh at that, even if it did hurt his throat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wasn't going to make you all sit through Svadlifari's nastiness. In fact I was thinking about cutting it off even sooner. But... I guess if there's a real want to read it among you guys, I can write it up and post it separately.


	9. Chapter 9

Loki ended up being forced to take several days off the street to recover from the harsh treatment Svadilfari had unleashed upon him. Several days that he spent most of in bed with Hela perched nearby watching kids shows on Loki's phone. It would no doubt run up his phone bill like crazy, but Loki didn't think he had much choice in the matter. Keeping his Princess entertained was not always easy, and the painkillers he had gotten ages ago from a street hawker -that he really should have had a prescription for but didn't- made him groggy and fall asleep frequently. Normally, Loki wouldn't have even taken them, but as the soreness really set in from the abuse, he had found his body just hurt far too much to not have something dulling it for him. Peter was disapproving but thankfully didn't outright argue with Loki about it. Loki didn't think he could have a reasonable discussion while he was on the pain pills.

But the thousand dollar windfall he'd gotten from Stark was well and truly used up what with rent having come due, so Loki knew that he would need to pull some pricey tricks to make up for taking some time off. That meant a few different options. He could hope that someone from the corner wanted something harder core, and he could thus charge more. Or he could do something he never liked doing, but knew would get him a bigger score faster. There was a BDSM bar a few blocks away called The Boudoir that Loki could prowl and pick up a kinky trick that he could demand the pay he needed. Then, of course, there was the standby of getting a John and lifting his credit card although the risk with that was often too high for Loki to tolerate. Loki didn't like any of those options for very different reasons.

Still, the break was much needed, and he was able to spend some time with the kids, which was honestly the thing he loved most in his life. Loki had told Sleipnir that he didn't have to go back across the hall ever again and it had nearly broken Loki's heart to see how overjoyed that made him. Sleipnir wasn't one to cry, but he'd buried his face into Loki's shoulder and sobbed for a solid ten minutes before he managed to contain himself again. That had made every second of pain worth it to Loki even if he didn't like the look the news put on Peter's face.

Loki knew that he couldn't spend another night off the streets so soon after having already taken several days off. He wasn't terribly sore anymore even if some of the marks on his body hadn't fully healed. He spent as long as he could helping Fenris and Jormungundr with their homework as Peter and Sleipnir kept Hela busy with some games at the table. Loki even made sure to make a good dinner for the kids even though he didn't stay to eat it. He had to get ready to go out and get the money he needed to pay his phone bill that would be due at the end of the week.

As Loki pulled on a clean pair of leather pants that was a laced together patchwork of olive green and black, Peter came into the bedroom where he'd been changing with a frown. "You're going out tonight?"

"Yes," Loki confirmed even though he was pretty sure that Peter would know that by the pants Loki was lacing up the front of. Loki didn't wear leather around the house unless he had just come in from the streets.

"Are you even recovered yet?" Peter asked.

Loki didn't deign to answer that and just pulled on a white tank-top that was so tattered it no longer even covered his midriff. He honestly should just toss the damn thing out or turn it into a wash rag or something, but Loki hadn't done so yet because sadly enough it did let men know what he was selling better than most anything else he could wear short of a sign. "Loki!"

"What do you want me to say, Peter?" Loki asked as he pulled on his jewelry. "I'm fine enough. And I can't afford to spend more time here at the apartment. And don't argue with me about it, Peter."

"... what if I got enough to cover whatever instead?" Peter asked. "You were taking Percocets just yesterday. There's no way you can go out there and have sex again."

Loki sighed and dropped several long necklaces over his head before turning to Peter. "I wish I could wait but I can't..."

Peter scowled at the ground. "... Please don't go," he bit out as if the words were physically painful to say.

There was an awkward silence between the two of them before Loki sighed again and crossed the room to pull Peter away from the wall and into a hug. "I have to, Pete. And I promise... it's not that bad. The Percocets did their job, and I wouldn't go out there now if I thought I was going to hurt myself."

"One of these days you're not going to come home," Peter muttered without uncrossing his arms or at all responding to Loki's attempt at comfort. "Or you're going to get sick. You have to stop. You just have to."

Loki closed his eyes tight against the feelings that tried to claw his chest apart. "I'm working on it, Peter. I promise I am."

Peter pulled back and glared up at Loki, and that would have been bad enough, but the shine of tears on his face only made it hurt Loki worse. "I've never seen you that bad before, Loki. He really hurt you, and now you're just going to go out there and let some other asshole hurt you again? You can't!"

"Hey." Loki brought his hand up to brush the tears off of Peter's cheeks. "Most guys aren't like him. And I had to do it. It was the only way to get Sleipnir away from him. I promise I'm not going to go running into another Svadilfari tonight or even anytime soon."

"Please... please let me just help you!" Peter begged as he clung to Loki's shirt.

Loki sighed and hugged Peter again. "Get your degree. And a job. That will help me, Peter," he said.

"But it'll take so long..."

"Then make it take less time," Loki said. Peter pulled back with a look of confusion on his face. Loki gave him the best smile he could. "You are so smart, Peter. I know you could finish your schooling in just a fraction of the time if you just try. You might be behind now, but I am sure you can catch up easily enough."

"Y-you think so?" Peter asked.

Loki gave his best smile. "Peter, I know you. You are the smartest boy I've ever had the fortune to meet. And I've met a lot of boys down on their luck in my time living on the streets. If anyone can pull themselves up out of this world... it's you. You have everything you need to make it, and I will support you as best I can."

Peter looked off to the side for a moment before burying his face in Loki's chest. "Ever since... ever since the crash... you're the only one who's tried to look out for me. If something happened to you too-"

"Shh," Loki hushed him. "Nothing's going to happen to me. I have to come home. Sleipnir has nowhere else to go now, and I wouldn't trust Boda to look after a cactus. And I would be absolutely heartbroken to not ever argue over Star Trek with you again."

Peter's lip quirked a little. "Or Doctor Who."

"Or any of the myriads of science fiction shows you obsess over," Loki said with a distinctly teasing tone to his voice. Loki's smile fell just slightly. "You're going to thrive, Peter. And not here in this apartment with broken heat and only one bed for six people. Somewhere better."

There was another long silence before Peter finally nodded and wiped at his face, jostling his glasses as he did it. "Alright. I'll go back to school, and I'll graduate and finish college as fast as I can to get an awesome job so that you don't have to do this anymore. I promise. I'll make you proud. You and Aunt May and Uncle Ben."

Loki felt his eyes burn but managed to not cry. "Oh, Peter. You already do. So much."

After another few minutes, Peter finally managed to wipe all of the tears off his face, but his eyes were still red and puffy as he watched Loki finish getting ready to go out. He looked like he wanted to protest again and Loki was infinitely glad when he didn't. Loki didn't think he could go through the argument yet again that night. Loki grabbed his wallet of condoms and little single-use lube packets before giving the kids a quick kiss goodbye. Peter saw him out but still looked depressed as Loki headed down the stairs. Loki really wished that he could promise the teen that he'd stop but unless he found a sugar daddy or the escort thing panned out Loki was living hand to mouth.

But, Loki decided to at the very least not go to the Boudoir. The tricks there were rougher and would probably be more than Loki could handle currently. Because, while he'd told Peter the truth that he was healed enough, he was indeed a little sore still. Not enough to stop him and not enough that any of his Johns would notice, but enough that Loki wasn't relishing the idea of sex that night. Maybe if he pulled enough blowjobs, he'd be able to spare his backside some of the strain. It was a nice thought even if Loki wasn't about to hold his breath over it.

As Loki made his way through the streets, he noticed an abnormal group of people. At first, Loki was concerned that there might have been a murder since they were all clustered at the opening of an alley on the other side of the street. When a flash of white blonde hair caught his attention, however, Loki realized it was just the twins working a little further out than they usually did. Loki wondered idly what Wanda was doing this time to keep all the attention on her while Pietro did his pick-pocketing. It could, honestly, be nearly anything from signing to sleight of hand tricks to even spray painting crazy stuff to sell Loki had seen once or twice. Anything to keep everyone looking at her. And it didn't even have to be for very long since Pietro was so quick.

Since it looked as if the twins were doing fine, Loki continued on down the street. He pulled out his phone and sent off a message to Natasha telling her he was out working. Only about three minutes later came the first message scolding him followed by another and then Loki just tucked his phone in his pocket again and ignored the beeps of rapidly incoming text messages. No doubt Natasha was on a roll of scolding judging by how many times his phone was beeping, but Tasha should really know better. Loki wouldn't have gone out if he'd had any real choice in the matter. Without his phone, Loki would really be screwed. Almost all of his bills came by email now, and if he didn't have access to them, he wouldn't know how much money to mail in each month. It wasn't like utilities were really in the habit of sending back extra cash if he overpaid.

Loki tried to not show that he was a bit cold as he leaned back against the light post. The temperature was getting more and more chilled, especially once the sun went down. And that only made the fact that he wore virtually nothing on his top half all the more uncomfortable. Luckily, Loki rarely caught colds or other sicknesses since he definitely exposed himself to the risk more than most.

Loki almost wished he hadn't given up smoking since that would have distracted him as he stood there on the corner. Usually, Natasha proved more than enough of a distraction, but now he didn't have the utterly shameless redhead there to pester him. Well, Loki did have whatever scolding she had sent about him being on the streets already, but he wasn't in the mood for being berated any more than he already had been.

For almost an hour Loki wandered from the light post down to the mailbox just past the newsstand, which constituted the stretch of the street that he and Natasha had worked since they first started together. Occasionally, Loki would call out to men looking at him a bit too long, but none of them dared to take him up on the offer. Loki was starting to get a little antsy. He'd been hoping for more business, but if he didn't get something soon, he'd have to go to the Boudoir after all.

Another half hour Loki at least managed to get a few blows but was getting more and more worried that he wouldn't make as much as he was hoping by any stretch of the imagination. Loki was willing to give the corner another hour before he gave up and went to find a kinky sonofa. Forty minutes of that hour had passed when a red Lamborghini with _gold_ racing stripes of all things pulled up a few feet down from him. It had to be the flashiest damn car Loki had ever seen, but as it sat there just idling, he figured he'd best go see if his luck for the night was changing.

Loki leaned down at the passenger window and was surprised to see a familiar face. "Well, hello again," Loki said.

Happy popped the locks on the door. "If you're not busy, my employer would like to see you." Loki noticed Happy never referred to Stark by name where anyone could possibly overhear him. Probably an attempt to keep the fact that Tony Stark of all people was having his employee pick up hookers for him. Although, Loki also figured that was a precaution rendered entirely pointless because really... the man was driving a red and gold Lamborghini. How many of those even existed in the world let alone the city?

"I suppose I could spare a few minutes," Loki said while climbing into the bucket seat. Loki had to admit he was astonished to be asked for again. In Loki's experience, men who had male prostitutes sprung on them did only a few things. Turn them away, take the chance to experiment and then never talk about it again, or freak right out. It was the unicorn customer that actually came back for more when it hadn't been their idea in the first place. Then again... Happy had sprung him on Stark once. Who was to say he wasn't planning it again? "Did Stark actually ask for me or is this another of your surprises?"

"Boss asked for you," Happy confirmed. "You must have really impressed him."

Loki shrugged and leaned back. "He did seem to enjoy himself well enough," Loki mused.

"If it's all the same to you, I'd rather not hear the details of my boss' sex life. Bad enough I can hear it through the walls when we're in hotels and such," Happy said. "Not that Tony didn't rant to me enough about what happened but I'd rather not get your side of it too." Loki chuckled a little. "Tony's an oversharer sometimes," Happy explained.

Loki couldn't say he was terribly shocked. "He doesn't seem the type to particularly care about things like being discreet, no. Speaking of, are all of Stark's cars this flashy?" Loki asked as he ran his fingers along the leather wrapped seat beneath him.

Happy's lip twitched some. "Most of them," he agreed. "Part of my job is to make sure they all get driven enough. One of my more enjoyable chores, to be fair."

"I imagine so. Not many men can claim to drive such powerful machines and not even have to buy them," Loki said.

For the rest of the drive to the tower, Happy chatted a little about the different expensive cars that Tony Stark apparently owned. A wide range of machines from classic muscle cars to the newest fastest beasts money could manufacture. And all of them, apparently, Tony had taken the time to tinker with until they met his particular standards. Loki listened dutifully, somewhat impressed by the sheer number of cars and all the different things that had been done to them, but not particularly interested in all the minutia of it. Nothing that Happy was talking about was something Loki had ever paid much attention to. Oh, sure, he could admire a fancy car easily enough, but he'd never been the type to ooh and ahh over how many horsepower something had or how fast it could get from zero to sixty since that seemed somewhat impractical. Besides that, Loki hadn't ever driven in his life so he'd never bothered to fantasize about his dream car or anything like that.

Happy pulled into the garage under the Tower and unlocked the elevator for Loki. "Have a nice night, Sir. I'll take you home after," Happy said as the polished doors closed again.

Again the elevator threw Loki off from how fast it was in ascending the tower. The penthouse was just as pristine as ever when Loki stepped out of the elevator. "Hello again, Sir."

"Hello, Jarvis," Loki greeted as he draped his coat across a chair that he walked past. "I must admit, I didn't think I'd be here again."

"Mr. Stark finds your company quite enjoyable, I understand," Jarvis said.

Loki shrugged a little at that. "Yes, I can see how he would. Most men do," he murmured more to himself than the disembodied butler. "And where might Mr. Stark be right now?" Loki asked as he walked the room and let his fingers trail across the various pristine pieces of furniture.

"He will be up momentarily. He asks that you feel free to make yourself comfortable," Jarvis replied.

"Mm, of course, he does," Loki mused as he continued to wander. The living room still looked as magazine perfect as before and as equally not lived in. Loki figured that was the only way to keep white couches so clean -not actually use them.

After a few moments of roaming, Loki went to the wet bar and poured himself a drink. None of the alcohol in the bar had actual labels -they were all in decanters or custom bottles- so Loki chose one at random to take a whiff of. It smelled like a chocolaty drink of some sort and -feeling like indulging his largely ignored sweet tooth- Loki went ahead and poured himself some.

With his drink in hand, Loki wandered again. Loki sipped at his drink as he found himself at the breakfast bar watching the little silver contraption spinning around. The liquor was not as sweet as he'd been expecting with a bit of spice from whatever else they had put into the whiskey to cut the chocolate with, but it was actually quite nice he found. Loki slid into the chair in front of the kinetic sculpture and watched it move while occasionally poking at it to speed it up or slow it down.

Loki didn't bother to keep track of how long he was sitting there waiting, but he had finished his drink. The door opened nearby, and Loki looked over to see a somewhat greasy looking Tony Stark walk in. He had a stained white cloth that he was using to wipe off black smudges on his hands, and his shirt was a variety of colors. Still, Tony gave a grin when he saw Loki sitting there. "Hey, sorry about that. Hope you weren't waiting too long."

"Long enough to finish my drink," Loki said as he held up his empty glass.

"Oh, well, that is a pity," Tony said as he went to the wet bar and picked up his own glass. "What were you drinking?" he asked while pouring something for himself.

"Whatever chocolate thing was in that bottle there second from the left," Loki supplied. Tony nodded and picked up the bottle to bring it over to where Loki was. He refilled the glass for the taller man before taking the seat beside Loki. "I was surprised when Happy came to get me again," Loki admitted.

Tony's eyebrow went up. "Why's that?"

"Most of the men that dare to experiment don't tend to do it more than once. Rarely they'll come to me twice, but, in my experience, most often not," Loki explained.

"Well, that's a pity," Tony said. "There must be a hell of a lot of repressed guys out there just pining for you."

"Mm, perhaps," Loki mused. "Or perhaps they just don't fancy the idea of being caught betwixt another man's thighs."

"Wusses," Tony replied with a snort. "Also... betwixt? Really?"

Loki smiled and took another sip from his refreshed glass. "The classic books are often free on e-reading services. Free trial, some free books, and you have entertainment for a while without paying a dime. A side benefit being you pick up a few somewhat archaic words here and there. Besides that though, betwixt is just a great word in general... especially when describing thighs."

"Flawless logic," Tony commented.

"So glad you approve."

"I do, I do," Tony said. "You mind if I go take a shower?" he asked before gesturing to himself. "I doubt you'd be interested in getting close to me when I reek this bad."

Loki shrugged but didn't protest the assumption. At least Tony seemed to have gotten sweaty through actual work and not just neglecting his hygiene. "I don't mind," Loki agreed. As Tony headed for his room, however, he couldn't quite help but throw something else out there, "Need help with your back?"

Tony paused and glanced back over at Loki where he was perched on the stool looking very coyly innocent. "I don't think I could call myself sane if I missed a chance to see you wet and naked," he said. Loki flashed a grin and Tony jerked his head slightly. "Come on, sexy. You wash mine, and I'll wash yours."


	10. Chapter 10

Loki followed a little behind Tony so when he got to the bathroom, the inventor was already bare and in the shower rinsing off the worst of the grime. Loki paused for a moment to assess the man behind the wall of glass and under the waterfall shower head in a way he hadn't done the first night he was here. Tony was not at all the typical businessman with actual muscles that spoke of physical activities -probably all that mechanical work. Loki rather liked that Tony was a bit shorter than himself. Shorter lovers made Loki feel more confident and in control -probably not the best reason to prefer them he realized, but Loki had never claimed to have the healthiest coping mechanisms. Loki could be on his knees being pounded from behind and yet if his partner was shorter in stature Loki still felt as if he was safer. He even knew it wasn't necessarily true as he himself had fought and won against men larger than him, but the truth mattered little to his psyche.

Loki's eyes travelled down Tony's hair speckled chest to narrow hips and then to his manhood dripping water between his thighs. Loki's eyes lingered there for a solid three minutes. He hadn't been lying when he told Tony that he had a nice cock. Loki was almost tempted to call it magnificent. Even not erect it was clear that Tony had been gifted in that area. Not that Loki didn't know that intimately well, but it was still a sight to behold especially dripping water and just begging to have it sucked off like it was. "Like what you see?" Tony asked.

Loki let his eyes move up from Tony's crotch to his face. "I do," Loki said. He reached for the bottom of his shirt and pulled it off to drop to the floor. "Shall I join you?"

"Please," Tony said as he reached over and opened the huge glass door of the walk-in shower.

Loki smirked and had to shimmy and squirm to get out of his tight pants. He noticed Tony's eyes staring at him as he slowly peeled the clothing away and then stepped out of them. Loki paused by the sinks of the bathroom to pull off the leather bits and jewelry that he had worn so that they wouldn't be ruined by the shower. Tony's grin widened as Loki joined him in the shower and instantly wrapped his arms around Tony's neck. "Hey, hot stuff," Tony greeted as he closed the door again and put his hands to Loki's hips.

"Is there some reason you have such a big shower?" Loki asked as the water raining down from above seemed to instantly plaster his hair to his head.

"Other than being able to have a sexy person like you in it with me?" Tony asked. "No. Not really."

Loki chuckled and let his hands run over Tony's body. "Well then, let's get you all cleaned up, huh?" Tony grinned at that and Loki turned to reach for the soap dispenser in the wall. He hadn't done more than get a glob of shower gel in his hands when Tony let out a strange noise and gently pushed Loki further to the side so that he was facing the wall. "What?"

"What is all this?" Tony asked as his hands brushed over Loki's back.

Mentally Loki both sighed and cursed. It figured that Tony would notice the bruises and lash marks across his back but he'd rather hoped that the other man wouldn't bring it up. "Customer got a little overzealous is all. Looks worst than it is," Loki answered.

"Who was it?" Tony asked.

"That hardly matters does it?" Loki asked back. "I'm not going to be sleeping with him again, and I'm with you right now anyway."

"It does matter. These things are nasty looking," Tony said as his fingers gently brushed over a long bruise that cut across Loki's shoulder blades. "Whoever this asshole is beat you, Loki."

Loki sighed and turned back around. "Tony, I'm paid for people to act out their fantasies on. Some people have more intense fantasies than others. But, like I said, I'm not going to be sleeping with that guy again. So, you're worrying about nothing."

"I don't call this nothing," Tony said with a gesture to Loki's back where the vast majority of the marks were located.

"Hey," Loki reached up and took Tony's face between his hands. "Everything's fine. I promise I'll be plenty good for you tonight."

Tony scowled. "I'm not worried about how good in bed you're going to be, Loki," Tony said. "In fact, I'm not even sure I should touch you with these marks all over you like this."

Loki felt a minor surge of panic. He had been hoping that tonight would be another windfall of money, but if Tony wasn't going to buy him after all, he would be screwed metaphorically rather than literally. "Hey," Loki said as he pressed himself against Tony's naked body. "I'm not some porcelain doll you have to take care of, Tony. By all means, if you're still interested in fucking me... don't let some other asshole turn you off."

There was nothing but the sound of water raining down around them for several minutes. "I don't want to hurt you," Tony said. "Hurting you doesn't turn me on at all."

"I'm not going to be hurt," Loki assured him before leaning down to press kisses to Tony's neck and shoulder. Loki didn't want to beg to be bought, but he also didn't want to lose Tony as a customer. There were just too many benefits with having a wealthy man interested in him to shut the door to that. In fact...

"You know," Loki said as he lifted his head again. "If you want to make sure about my health you could always do me a favor."

Tony's eyebrow went up. "What kind of favor?"

Loki hummed and rubbed himself subtly against Tony's front. Their wet bodies slid together deliciously, and Loki was glad to feel Tony's cock starting to stiffen against his thigh. "Have you ever heard of Shield?"

"The security company?" Tony asked. "Yeah, of course. My dad dealt with them a whole lot when I was a kid."

"Well, they also have a secondary interest in escorts," Loki shared as he let his hand slide down Tony's body to knead into the shorter man's hip. Thankfully, Tony's hands finally started moving again and squeezed Loki's ass. "I've tried to get in, but they don't have any clients that want men. If you went to them and asked for a male escort... you could have me whenever you wanted, and I wouldn't have to deal with assholes like that anymore."

"An escort service?" Tony echoed. "That seems weird for them to get into."

Loki hummed in agreement as his fingers feathered across Tony's steadily hardening cock. He was glad when Tony inhaled sharply, and his hips jerked forward. "It's a little weird... but isn't it an appealing prospect?" Loki asked coyly as he teased Tony to fullness. "Being able to just pick up the phone and have me in your bed just a little while later? No fuss and no boring talks of money. Just you... pounding my tight ass with your thick cock as many times as you want until you cum?"

Tony shivered again and actually groaned at the dirty talk that Loki already knew he liked. "You like that idea don't you?" Loki teased as his fingers brushed over the sensitive head of Tony's cock. The billionaire's fingers dug into Loki's backside, but the taller man barely noticed. Seduction wasn't something Loki often had to do. After all, he sold himself to whoever wanted it, so seduction wasn't necessary. But, Loki thought he was still pretty good at it despite the lack of practice. Loki licked the water off of Tony's neck up to his ear. "Or maybe you'd rather fuck my throat again?"

Tony let out a noise of want and gripped Loki's backside harder. "You're trying to distract me," he all but growled.

"Maybe a little," Loki said. He wasn't in the least bit bothered to be found out since he wasn't exactly subtle. "Tell me, what have you been fantasizing about doing with me while you're at all those boring meetings? Maybe you want to fuck me hard against a wall? Oh, how about on top of one of your fancy cars? Make my ass squeak against the hood as you ram your cock into me over and over? I bet you have all sorts of wonderful thoughts in that genius head of yours."

Another low groan of want escaped Tony's throat, "You are just downright dangerous, sexy."

Loki chuckled and stroked Tony's erection slowly with his wet hand. "Tell me all your dirty thoughts, Tony. Maybe you thought about me sucking you off right there in the meeting? Hidden under your big fancy desk with my throat full of your cock while nobody else knows? I bet you'd like that..." Tony groaned again, and suddenly Loki's back was pressed against the cold tiles of the shower. "Mm, too bad we can't do that tonight," Loki mused as he brushed their cocks together and made Tony let out another delicious noise of want. "But that's okay... we have plenty of other things we could do right here."

Loki's long fingers wrapped around both of their erections and started stroking them both, the remnants of the body soap making his motions even easier. Tony cursed and tucked his head into Loki's shoulder. "You make it hard to think," Tony muttered.

"That is sort of the idea," Loki agreed as he continued to stroke their cocks together. "You're overthinking. You have me in this lovely shower all naked and willing to do whatever you want, and you're standing here thinking of all things."

Tony groaned yet again as he tried desperately to get back on track despite the absolutely sinfully good feeling of Loki's slick hand rubbing their sensitive lengths together. "Loki... fuck!"

"Now you're getting it," Loki said with amusement. "Just tell me how."

"Turn around," Tony said. Loki smirked but did as he was told to press his chest against the tiled wall. Tony was pressed against him quickly, and Loki could feel the thick heat of his cock nestled against the cleft of his ass. "Still no on the bareback?" Tony breathed hot and desperate in Loki's ear.

"Not a chance," Loki replied.

Tony grunted, seemingly disappointed, but thankfully didn't argue about it and just started rubbing himself against Loki's wet backside instead. His mouth kissed and sucked over Loki's shoulder, and neck as the hot water of the shower continued to rain down against them. Loki pressed back as Tony rutted hard into Loki's bare ass, adding even more sensation that made Tony groan louder. Already Tony was breathing hard as his hands wandered over Loki's wet body and his cock slid against Loki's ass. Tony really wished he had a condom at hand, but he hadn't thought ahead enough to bring one into the shower with him. Next time he had Loki in a shower though, he was going to have what he needed with him.

Tony's fingers wrapped around Loki's cock and the taller man couldn't quite help the gasp of surprise. Loki still wasn't expecting much reciprocation from Tony even though he'd done something similar last time they were together. "God... even the outside of your ass feels good," Tony breathed as he rocked his hips even harder into the round cheeks he was pressed against.

Loki allowed Tony to rut against him for a while until it became clear that no matter how good it felt for the billionaire, it wasn't quite enough to get him off. Loki straightened and turned despite the noise of disappointment it caused from Tony. Loki smirked at the noise. "Don't sound so upset... I'm not going to leave you hard and wanting," he said as he carefully went down to his knees in front of Tony. "But we'll turn into prunes if we stay in your shower too much longer," Loki told him as he leaned forward to lick the water and precum off of Tony's hard length.

Tony cursed and one hand tangled in Loki's hair. Loki took that as a sign to continued and continued to slowly lap away all the moisture that was coating Tony's cock, whether it just water or something more. Tony stared down at him with a gaze so hot Loki thought he might actually catch fire. Loki licked from the base of Tony's cock to the sensitive head and reveled in the reaction it caused. Usually, Loki didn't much care if he was 'good' at what he did so long as he got paid. He was good at it, he knew. Loki wouldn't be able to make any living at all if he wasn't worth the money he demanded. But something about making a powerful, rich man like Tony shiver and moan was a heady, powerful sensation that Loki would have to be careful to not get addicted to.

After several minutes of treating Tony like a giant lollipop, Loki opened his mouth wide and swallowed his entire length. Tony let out a loud noise of pleasure, and his head even went back as Loki went down on him. Again, Loki enjoyed hearing Tony practically whimper in pleasure as all of his cock disappeared past Loki's lips and he did his best to bury the somewhat inappropriate feelings he was getting.

Loki relaxed his throat so that Tony's impressive length could find it's way deeper until Loki was pressed against the man's abdomen. Tony let out a stream of curses and started rocking his hips forward. Loki remembered how Tony had liked this before and closed his eyes against the water still streaming over them as he sucked and licked at the base of the other man's cock while Tony moved. Noises of pleasure kept escaping Tony as Loki loudly sucked away the continued run of water and swallowed around Tony's slowly thrusting cock.

Tony's short thrusts into Loki's throat weren't that hard for Loki to take although he was sure his voice would be rough for a while afterwards. Loki ran his fingers up the billionaire's inner thigh to gently fondle the man's heavy balls as he sucked and licked. Tony groaned and pushed Loki's head down a little harder. Loki took the move with only minimal choking. Loki felt a lack of water hitting his face and opened his eyes to see Tony nearly doubled over him panting hard. "I'm gonna cum..." he warned as he kept thrusting his hips a little more erratically than before. "Swallow it?"

Loki couldn't answer verbally so; instead, he just sucked as hard as he could, causing Tony to give a full body shudder. Tony moaned out Loki's name even as he came into the other man's throat. Loki could still taste Tony's release as it spurted into his throat and did as he'd been asked. For a brief moment, Loki remembered Svadlifari forcing him to do something similar, but Loki pushed that away. It didn't feel as violating or demeaning with Tony. Probably because Tony had asked him to and not demanded it.

There was an odd intimacy here that Loki did his utmost best to not examine too closely even as Tony stared down at him in utter awe. Loki sucked and swallowed until every bit of Tony's cum had been released and then pulled back. Tony allowed it although he didn't remove his hand from Loki's hair. "Shit, you are the sexiest thing I've ever seen," Tony murmured as Loki wiped his mouth and jaw.

"Glad you think so," Loki said. His voice as indeed rougher than usual but it didn't hurt to speak which was always a good thing.

"Are you staying all night?" Tony asked as his fingers moved through Loki's wet and tangled hair.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "If you want me to," Loki answered. That was really up to Tony and if he was willing to shell out the money for him to spend the whole night.

"I do," Tony said as he straightened.

"Then I will," Loki said as he got to his feet again and reached once more for the body wash. "Now, let's get you cleaned up like we should have been doing from the start."

Tony's eyes flicked down to where Loki's erection was still hard between his legs. "And what about you?"

Loki looked down and then shrugged. "We'll get to that, I'm sure," he said as he started to run his soapy hands over Tony's body. The water had gotten the easiest of the grime off, but the grease and ground in dirt was still there resisting the shower.

Tony hummed and allowed Loki to run his hands all over him for a moment before reaching for his own handful of soap. Loki was surprised but didn't protest when the billionaire started running his hands all over Loki's paler body too. That would get them done with the shower faster and all. Loki wasn't particularly surprised when Tony's hands went from just running soap over his skin to fondling. Loki had been in showers with clients before, and fondling was always what it devolved into.

Loki managed to get the last of the dirt off of Tony's skin, but since his client seemed so intrigued with touching Loki's body, he didn't put an immediate end to it. Tony's hands groped Loki's backside gently but firmly. "You have such a nice ass," Tony muttered as his soapy fingers and palms rubbed over Loki's cheeks.

"So I've been told," Loki replied.

Tony's grip shifted, and he pressed a single finger against Loki's hole. Loki couldn't quite help but stiffen as he was still mildly sore, but as Tony gently prodded and rubbed with his soap-slick finger, Loki realized he wasn't likely to get hurt and relaxed.

"Are you okay for this?" Tony asked as he rubbed across the puckered ring of muscles between Loki's cheeks.

"Of course," Loki replied.

Tony hummed, and for a moment Loki thought that Tony didn't believe him, but then the billionaire started to slowly work his finger inside of Loki's ass. Loki couldn't quite help but gasp and cling harder to Tony as his sore muscles were forced apart again. He didn't protest but was very glad that Tony was being slow and as gentle as one could be when fingering someone's anus.

"You're tighter than you were last time," Tony murmured as he slowly thrust his finger and tried to coax Loki's body to relax and loosen.

"I took a few days off," Loki said as he tried his best to stay as calm as possible. "And you're the first tonight."

Tony paused for a moment, and Loki was afraid he'd said something wrong. "I like that," Tony admitted before he went back to his fingering. Loki almost sighed in relief but then Tony hooked his finger like he had last time and brushed against Loki's prostate. Loki gasped and dug his fingers into Tony's back. "There we go..."

Loki could only hold onto the shorter man as Tony decided what Loki needed was a good finger fucking and started rubbing and prodding that spot with his finger relentlessly. The sensations turned Loki into a quivering mess in an almost frighteningly small amount of time, and still Tony didn't let up. At some point, Tony managed to work a second finger into Loki's tight hole and began teasing Loki's insides with both digits.

Loki's cock between them was almost painfully hard at the continued attention to that nerve bundle, and he was struggling to stay upright when his legs wanted to give out on him. Tony showed surprising strength in keeping them both upright even as he massaged that spot until Loki was leaking pre all over their stomachs.

"I love it when you make these noises," Tony said as he rubbed that spot inside Loki. Loki could only cry out louder and arch into Tony. "That's right. Feels good doesn't it?"

Loki could only stand his prostate being toyed with a for a few more minutes before he reached his limit and the tension in his core suddenly fled as he came between them. Tony fingered Loki a few more times so that the dark haired man shuddered and shivered in his arms before finally pulling his fingers away. "There. Now we just have to finish cleaning up," he said in satisfaction.

Loki lifted his head to look at Tony with some bewilderment. "You didn't have to do that."

"I wanted to," Tony replied as he pulled away enough to wash Loki's release off their skin. "Now, I'm getting hungry. Dinner?"

Loki studied Tony for several moments before nodding. No matter how hard Loki tried, he just couldn't get a firm grasp on Tony Stark. He was oddly unconcerned about Loki's profession and didn't act like any other John that Loki had known in all his years of prostitution. Loki knew he'd have to be careful to not get too tangled up in the man. Especially if he did take Loki up on the offer of hiring him through Shield.

The two men finished their shower in silence, and then Tony handed Loki a long grey robe. Figuring it made sense to not bother getting redressed since they were likely to end up having sex again later, Loki slipped the comfortable robe on without protest before leaving the misty bathroom.


	11. Chapter 11

Tony ended up ordering them a large pizza to eat for dinner. "You don't do much cooking do you?" Loki mused as he was handed a fresh drink. They had ended up curled up on the couches again after their quick dinner of highly greasy pizza with cheese that refused to pull apart no matter how far it was stretched.

"Cooking requires time and effort that I'd much rather spend in my lab," Tony answered casually.

"Then why have such a high-end kitchen?" Loki asked before gesturing with his glass towards the kitchen. "That fridge has a touch screen and a computer in it to tell you what's been used and allow you to reorder it... who even has that sort of thing?"

"I do," Tony stated.

Loki shook his head a little. "You can even use it to look up recipes if that's the model I think it is..."

Tony looked surprised. "It can? You know I haven't messed with it like... at all," he admitted. "I mean other than hooking Jarvis up to it. I just told Pep to get the top of the line and let her deal with it. I use the mini-fridge in my lab more often than that one."

"Shocking," Loki drawled. "Although, I am surprised that you haven't... added 'bells and whistles' like you did with your bots."

"Last time I was in the kitchen and not just to grab something out of the fridge was... I think five years ago? I tried to actually make something other than a sandwich... and was promptly reminded why that's a bad idea. I got distracted by a project and set fire to the place, and then Dum-E went crazy with his favorite toy -the fire extinguisher- and it was a whole mess, and I had to redo the kitchen which is actually how we got this one," Tony explained with a few casual gestures. As if destroying part of your own home and needing to remodel it was a common occurrence.

Loki stared for a moment and then shook his head. "Wow. Alright. And who is Dum-E?"

"Ah, he's one of the first bots I made. He's supposed to be a sort of lab assistant, but well, he's a little paranoid about spontaneous combustion or something. He tries so hard to be helpful... he really does," Tony explained with a fond if somewhat exasperated smile.

Loki couldn't quite help but chuckle. "Has he ever bleached any of your clothes?" Loki asked.

"God no! He's not allowed anywhere near the laundry," Tony said quickly.

"Probably a wise choice," Loki admitted.

There was a moment of silence, and then Tony cleared his throat. "Happy told me he ran into your kid when he dropped you off last time," he said awkwardly. Loki scowled, but he wasn't particularly surprised. "It must be hard... raising a teenager," Tony said when Loki didn't immediately respond.

"You don't raise teenagers. You manage them as best you can," Loki answered. After another moment, Loki sighed. "Look, I think you might have gotten the wrong impression-"

"I did a background check on you," Tony blurted out. Loki, though he hated to admit it, was caught somewhat off guard by the sudden statement. "Not for any personal reasons it's just... I do own a multi-billion dollar company and everything. I didn't think I'd find anything, but I didn't find _anything._ Like, at all. Not an apartment lease or a tax return and certainly not that you have a kid at home."

Loki was mildly offended at first but then smiled wryly. "Well, I work quite hard to leave as little a paper trail as possible. It's nice to know that it's working."

Tony frowned. "I don't think you understand. _I_ ran a background check on you. Not just some bullshit 'check your background' website. I did. Well, Jarvis, but same difference. I can always find _something_ on whoever I'm looking up. Hell, I even found something on that friend of yours with the red hair. But nothing on you. Best I could do was find about a dozen Loki's scattered throughout Europe -most of which are still living in Europe but a few are either dead or unaccounted for- and I have no idea which might be you. It's incredibly frustrating."

"You don't like not knowing something do you?" Loki observed. He was mildly annoyed that Tony had gone so far as to look for where in Europe he was from, but, since he seemed to be trouble finding out anything for sure, Loki decided to be more amused than angry.

"How could you even live off the grid in this day and age?" Tony asked in frustration.

Loki chuckled again and leaned back against the couch. "I pay everything in cash, which actually isn't that hard as that's what I'm mostly paid in."

"How did you even get to this country without leaving a trail? Even a fake one?" Tony asked. He would have expected at least a fake passport or something to have shown up during Jarvis' search. The fact that nothing had was both impressive and frustrating.

"That would be my little secret," Loki answered before taking a sip of his drink. "And I'd really prefer to talk about something else."

Tony frowned. He wanted to get answers to sate his burning curiosity, but he supposed it also wasn't _really_ his business. Instead of pursuing the near impossible feat of keeping undocumented where everything left trails and fingerprints, Tony decided to ask about the other topic that he still really wanted answers to. "Happy said that your kid's name was... Peter?" Loki's expression darkened, immediately less amused than he had been. "How old is he?"

"Fifteen, and he's not actually mine," Loki said. "I'm not that old. I just happened to take him in when he needed a place to go."

"What happened to his folks?" Tony asked before he could stop himself.

Loki shrugged. "Dead, I would assume. He doesn't talk much about that, and I've learned better than to pry into other people's past," he said in a tone that clearly meant to hint that Tony should stop.

Tony Stark, however, was not particularly good at taking hints. Not even the most obvious ones. He noticed them, of course, and then proceeded to ignore them. "No wonder that I couldn't find you through his birth certificate. Admittedly, I didn't have a last name or a date, but, I mean, how many Loki's could have had kids named Peter in New York?"

"None, in reality," Loki drawled.

"I don't suppose you'd tell me which of the few remaining Loki's I haven't identified is you would you?" Tony asked.

"What makes you think my real name even is Loki?" Loki asked with a raised eyebrow. "It could be Steve for all you know."

Tony pouted. "That's not fair... also you don't look like a 'Steve' in the least."

Loki chuckled at the pout on the other man's face. "Well, it isn't Steve, I'll admit that," he conceded. "But if I wanted someone to find out about me, I wouldn't be living on cash in the first place."

"You're no fun," Tony complained.

Loki hummed and leaned across the couch so that he was pressed up close to Tony's side. "Now, Tony, you know that's not true in the least. You always have lots of fun when I'm around," he purred.

"Mrs. Robinson, I do believe you're trying to seduce me," Tony said as he wrapped his free arm around Loki's waist.

"Now would I do that?" Loki asked innocently.

"You already have once today," Tony pointed out with a smile. 

"And you loved it," Loki said as he leaned close enough to brush his lips over Tony's neck and shoulder. He felt Tony shiver under him and smirked before putting his drink on the coffee table in front of them. "What else would you like tonight?" he asked as he carefully put himself into Tony's lap while his now free hands ran over the front of the robe that the billionaire was wearing. "I'm all yours until morning, after all."

"What I would like and what I will do aren't necessarily the same thing," Tony said.

Loki raised an eyebrow. "Getting shy on me?"

"Hardly. I'm just not looking to add to your bruise collection," Tony replied with a hint of sarcasm to mask his actual concern.

"Didn't I just prove to you not long ago that I was fine?" Loki asked in exasperation.

"You proved you were determined," Tony answered instantly.

Loki sighed, "Look. I'm a businessman, really. It might be a lewd business, but it's still a business. You pay for something, you're going to get it."

"I pay for your time. What we actually do in that time is up to me," Tony retorted.

The frown on Loki's face grew. He didn't like the idea of casual interactions with someone paying him. Oddly enough, that felt somehow worse to him than being paid for sex. Loki had learned how to cut emotions out of sex -he'd had to in order to survive- but just sitting and being friendly without the physical aspect was not something he had any experience handling. He had Johns he liked well enough; they were nice and didn't make the sex awful for him, but he that was distinctly different than being friends with them.

Before Loki could come up with a way to verbalize why what Tony was asking was far more uncomfortable than if they were to just have raunchy sex all over his penthouse, there was a one-note chime. "Sirs, pardon to interrupt," Jarvis said almost immediately after the tone. "Doctor Banner is calling, Sir."

Loki gave a wry smile. He didn't know any Doctor Banner, so clearly, the call was for Tony. "I'll be in the bedroom. Give you your privacy," Loki said as he slunk off of the other man's lap. Tony couldn't stop from watching as Loki picked up his drink and sauntered to the bedroom. Loki could tell from the soft groan he heard that it had caused the desired reaction in the billionaire and he smirked to himself. Tony's restraint was again impressive, but Loki doubted that it would last. So, Loki crawled into the massive bed and let himself sprawl out across it, the robe he was wearing not even slightly fastened in his front so that tantalizing glimpses of skin could be seen all along his body. If that didn't get Tony ready to go, Loki wasn't sure what would.

The phone call in the other room seemed to go for a while. Much longer than Loki had anticipated. Loki even dozed off while he was waiting. Loki woke up sometime later when he felt gentle hands on him. Loki opened his eyes to see Tony above him and smiled. "Hey there. Done your call?" he asked as he shifted and allowed the robe he was wearing to part a little more.

"Yeah. But I didn't mean to wake you."

"Oh?" Loki asked. "Going to fuck me while I'm sleeping? That's pretty kinky, Mr. Stark."

Tony rolled his eyes. "That's not what I meant. I'm not going to make you have sex with me if you're too tired."

"So who's tired?" Loki asked. "I was bored."

"Bored huh?"

Loki hummed in agreement and let his hand drift down to slip his hand inside the robe Tony was still wearing to rub over his cock. "Well, you haven't been around to entertain me," he said innocently. "What's the point of inviting me here if we don't have fun?"

"You're relentless," Tony murmured as his cock started to slowly harden again under Loki's hand. "I really don't want to hurt you, Loki."

Loki hummed and carefully rolled them over so that he was straddling Tony. His first instinct was to deny it was possible, but Tony didn't seem to be buying that idea. "Well... then might I make a suggestion?" he asked as he shifted so that he was positioned over Tony's lap although the billionaire's robe was still in the way.

"Suggest away, beautiful," Tony said as he propped himself up on his elbows as Loki started to rock and gyrate his hips so that his backside was grinding and rubbing the steadily growing bulge he could feel.

"I'll ride your big cock all night," Loki said as he leaned forward to brush his mouth across Tony's skin. "Just like this... nice and slow so that you can savor every inch of it... I'll warm your dick all night with my ass until you can't stand it anymore."

Tony groaned and grabbed at Loki's rocking hips. "That sounds wonderful," he murmured. "But it still might hurt you."

"Not if you let me do everything," Loki denied as he finally shed his own open robe. "You just relax and let me make you feel good, Tony," he said as he pushed Tony back down onto the bed and shook his hips so that the bulge he was feeling slid between his crack teasingly. Tony groaned again and then cursed. Loki smiled, realizing that he only had to push a little more and the billionaire would crumble entirely.

Loki leaned forward to lick a stripe up Tony's neck. "Don't you want me to ride you nice and slow all night long? Doesn't me working so hard to please your thick cock sound nice? I bet by the time I'm done my ass will be molded to your shape... all stretched out perfectly for you. It'll take days for me to tighten up again," he teased. Loki could feel the bulge he was grinding against getting larger and harder and knew his words were definitely working. "Come on, Stark... I'm begging you. Let me ride you?" he asked in his most innocently pleading tone.

"Shit," Tony grit out. "You drive the hardest bargains," Tony managed to say even as he reached for his side table. He fumbled for a minute but then pulled out a box of condoms and the bottle of lube they'd used last time.

Loki smirked and sat up so that he could undo the tie on Tony's robe. Tony's thick erection stood up the moment the cloth wasn't in the way and curved slightly towards the billionaire. Loki shifted back and wrapped a hand around Tony's length to give the shaft a few strokes that made Tony shudder and bite his lip. "Hold on, stud," Loki said as he reached over with his free hand to open a condom. "We just need this, and I'll make you feel good all night long."

Tony groaned again as Loki kept slowly stroking his length. After the taller man finally got the condom packet open, he carefully rolled it down the billionaire's already straining manhood. "Mm, will you last all night?" Loki asked as he poured out some lube and slickened the latex wrapped around Tony's length.

"Shit, I hope so," Tony groaned as he twisted his hands in the open robe he was still wearing.

Loki hummed and took a brief moment to slide two fingers into himself and spread some lubrication there as well. The action stung a little, but not very badly, so Loki didn't hesitate to poise himself over top of Tony's cock. As he lowered himself, he couldn't quite help but hiss in discomfort, but Tony's own noise helped drown that out. Loki lowered himself slowly and took several grounding breaths as his hole was forced wider as he slid down Tony's length. Tony was obviously trying hard to not grab at Loki and Loki was very grateful for that as he shifted his hips to better accept the first time he'd been entered by more than fingers in days.

Finally, Loki's backside was cradled against Tony's hips, and Tony cursed as Loki took a moment to breathe and regain control of himself. The sting was still there, but it was going away slowly. "Damn it, you're the tightest thing ever," Tony grit out through his teeth. "I might cum just from this..."

"Go ahead... I'll still ride you all night," Loki promised as he waited for his muscles to adjust to the intrusion.

Tony cursed again but seemed to manage to hold back his orgasm. Loki smiled even though Tony had his eyes closed and couldn't see it. Yet again he felt a little rush of power and adrenaline from seeing a man like Tony Stark in such a state from what Loki was doing. Loki pushed that to the side and tucked his legs under himself so that he could start doing what he'd promised. Tony's eyes flew open as Loki slowly dragged himself up, and the let himself down in a slow, controlled drop. "Like that?" Loki asked as he braced himself on Tony's chest and paused before starting to do it again.

"Shit, yes," Tony breathed. "I want it faster..."

"Too bad," Loki said as he continued to go as slow as he could stand. He leaned closer and nipped at Tony's earlobe. "You're the one that wanted to be sure I couldn't get hurt... that means... _slow_ ," he said, punctuating the word slow by another lick this time around the shell of Tony's ear.

Tony groaned in what sounded like frustration, but Loki wasn't about to be merciful and slowly lowered himself again inch by inch. "No taking over either," Loki warned as he became fully seated again and rocked his hips to drive Tony even further towards his end. "You wanted me to please you all night long... leave it to me."

Loki turned his full attention to what he was doing, slowly impaling himself over and over on Tony's length while the billionaire cursed and moaned and made dozens of other such delightful noises where he was sprawled out on his bed. Loki didn't particularly care if he was being mean, he considered this a worthy punishment for Tony thinking that he somehow knew Loki's body better than he did. It took a little while, but eventually, Loki's slow movements over Tony's cock, got the billionaire to start twitching and his face screwed up as if he were about to come. Loki lowered himself slowly and then paused, just sitting there with Tony's on the edge erection nestled inside of him. Once the twitching stopped, then Loki lifted himself off of Tony again to resume his agonizingly slow lap dance.

Loki brought Tony close several times before pausing and just sitting there with little motions for several minutes so that he didn't quite get enough to climax. Loki's legs were throbbing, but he ignored that as he took his sweet time in sliding up and down Tony's pole so that every inch could be felt each and every time. After a bit of time, the soreness Loki felt in his backside was wholly forgotten about, but still, Loki didn't speed up. He just brought Tony close to climax and then paused again, sitting with the man's twitching cock buried deep but not giving him the last push he needed.

"You're so mean," Tony whined as he was allowed to calm down again so that he didn't end. "I'm going to do this to you one day," he vowed.

"I look forward to it," Loki said as he peppered gentle kisses along Tony's sweaty neck and shoulder.

Loki started moving again, and Tony couldn't help but whimper as his sensitive cock was sliding through Loki's tight hot little body again. "Shit, please, Loki," he said as he gripped Loki's hips. "Let me cum this time..."

"Mm, one condition," Loki said as he impaled himself again.

"Anything!" Tony gasped as his cock twitched and oozed inside of the condom.

"No more trying to tell me what I can and can't do," Loki said into Tony's ear. "It's my body. I set my own limits. Got it?"

Tony groaned but nodded instantly. "Right. Sorry."

Loki smirked and finally picked up the pace of his hips. Tony cursed aloud again, and his fingers tightened on Loki's hips. Loki could feel how close Tony was but this time he didn't stop and let the billionaire calm down. Instead, Loki sped up even more and ground his hips down as he practically slammed into Tony's hips over and over again.

There was a loud cry that filled the dim room, and Loki impaled himself one last time before stopping as Tony came hard. Tony opened his eyes to stare up at Loki even as he caught his breath. One quick glance down and Tony reached for Loki's hands. Loki was a little surprised when the billionaire directed Loki to his own mostly neglected erection. "Jerk off," Tony said, his voice utterly ruined by lust and pleasure.

"I'll get you dirty," Loki said as he wrapped a hand around himself.

"Don't care. Jerk off right now... right after I came inside you," Tony said.

Loki raised an eyebrow but didn't bother to point out Tony had been wearing a condom. Instead, Loki just did as he'd been told and started to stroke himself. "Kinky, aren't you?" he asked as he felt Tony twitching inside of him.

"Oh, like you aren't," Tony breathed as he watched with rapt attention as the taller man stroked and squeezed and played with himself.

Loki decided that wasn't worth a retort and just let Tony watch as he found all of the spots that felt the best. He closed his eyes as he used the pre dribbling from his cock to smooth his own motions. Loki groaned and moved his hands faster as he teased his glands and found that spot under his head with his thumb that never failed to feel good.

Stroking himself only lasted another few minutes before Loki cried out and came all over Tony's stomach and chest. Loki leaned forward to catch his breath even as his body quaked and brought his attention back to the fact that he was still impaled on Tony's cock. "Damn that was hot," Tony said as he rubbed his hand over Loki's side.

"Glad you approve," Loki murmured as he lifted his head to look at Tony properly again.

Tony studied him for a moment before looking off to the side. He made a little snort. "Damn it's late... or I guess early. You hold to your word don't you?" he asked.

Loki glanced over and saw it was nearly four in the morning. "Of course," Loki said as he very carefully got up. Both men made little noises as Loki lifted himself entirely off of Tony for the first time in hours. Loki allowed himself to collapse beside Tony on the bed and just relaxed as best he could.

"Get some sleep, sexy. You must be ten times as tired as I am," Tony said as he reached down to take the condom off of himself. Loki hummed a little in agreement. Tony got out of bed, and before he even returned, Loki had drifted off to sleep again.


	12. Chapter 12

Loki woke up to the sounds of someone running the shower, but he didn't deign that worthy enough of his attention to fully rouse himself from the frankly too comfortable bed he was still half buried in. He even began to doze off again until he heard drawers being opened and closed and general rummaging around nearby. Loki opened his eyes and slowly blinked to try and fully pull himself from his bleary half asleep state. Tony was dressed in a dark charcoal suit or, rather, he was mostly clothed, but was going through a few tie options currently and seemed to be torn between two of them. The room was lit mainly by a floor lamp in the corner nearest Stark and a bit of predawn greyness filtering in through the massive windows. "Mmm, something, something, something sharp dressed man," Loki murmured without bothering to lift his head more than it took to push more of his pillow under his chin.

Tony turned. "Ah, did I wake you?"

"I suppose I am technically conscious, yes," Loki answered.

"Smart ass even when you're half asleep, huh?" Tony asked.

"Mm, I can't help it," Loki said. "I spent a lot of time in England as a child... the snark cannot be contained."

Tony chuckled and went over to the bed. "I didn't mean to wake you, but I am glad you're awake. I can tell this to you directly instead of leaving you a note," he said as he leaned down across the bed so that their faces were near each other. "Apparently, even though I own the damn jet I have to leave at stupid o'clock in the morning for a meeting I have overseas. I'll be a few days, but when I get back, I'll dig up my Dad's old contact in Shield and make sure you get in."

Loki hummed at that and allowed the smile to crease his mouth. "Well, aren't you just the sweetest."

"I'm thinking of it as a sort of investment," Tony said.

"Pragmatic of you," Loki replied.

Tony flashed a quick grin. "I thought you might appreciate that. Now I got to finish getting dressed. You go back to sleep."

Loki hummed and, if he were more awake, might have questioned Tony's strange willingness to allow Loki a man he still knew very little about just be in his lavishly furnished penthouse unaccompanied. Many of Loki's clients didn't even like him being alone in their _cars_ for extended periods of time. But, instead, Loki just allowed himself to fully sink back into the comfort of the bed and drift off to sleep again.

When he next woke up, it was at a much more reasonable time of day with the sun having actually risen. Loki quickly washed and got redressed in his clothes that had again been dry cleaned while he was asleep, apparently, as they were hanging on the coat rack by the front door that Loki had actually mistaken for a bit of chrome abstract sculpture since he'd never seen anything hanging on it before. Again there was an envelope full of bills for him on the counter, and Loki was surprised to see a few hundred extra dollars than he'd been expecting. Perhaps he should have known considering Tony seemed to be trying to be a knight in shining armor, but it was still surprising. Maybe Stark just liked throwing money away? Loki couldn't say he couldn't use it, though so he wouldn't complain about it.

"Ah... Jarvis?" Loki asked, feeling a little foolish but suddenly realizing he had yet again been driven further than he would like walking.

"Yes Sir, how may I be of assistance?" The butler's voice came immediately and as perfectly politely as always.

Loki eyed the envelope in his hand and wondered for a moment if he'd have to call a cab. "Is... Happy available to drive me home? Or could you call me a cab if not?"

"Of course, Sir," Jarvis answered. Loki wondered which of those options he'd get even as he put his earnings into his wallet. Another moment passed as Loki checked for the third time -entirely unnecessarily- that he had everything he'd come in with. Then, finally, Jarvis chimed in again, "Mr. Hogan is waiting for you in the garage whenever you are ready, sir."

That was an incredible relief, and Loki quickly left the penthouse to meet the driver again. This time, Happy was waiting beside a pristine white Lotus with chrome detailing. Loki couldn't imagine how difficult the thing was to stay clean and polished.

"Am I taking you home today?" Happy asked. "Or somewhere else?"

"Home will do, thank you," Loki said. He didn't imagine that there was any reason to try and keep his home life too secret since his apartment building was already known and -if Loki was reading Tony right- investigated at least partially.

This time there were no groceries to carry up to the apartment so Happy didn't have any excuse to hang around after dropping Loki off in front of the building. Even still Loki noticed that Happy cast the graffiti-laden bricks an annoyed look. Loki wasn't sure why Happy would take any particular umbrage with where Loki was living, but he wasn't about to ask. The man probably was just too nice for his own good or had some problem with the slums. Quite a lot of people seemed to dislike the lower rent areas on principle.

Loki was mildly surprised that none of the kids were awake when he came in, but that did give him a chance to actually make breakfast. The last three eggs wouldn't go far to feeding six people so Loki turned it into a batter for French Toast where it would go further. By the time Loki was putting the first batch on a serving plate, Peter had roused from where he was sleeping on the couch. "Mm, Loki?"

"Morning," Loki greeted. "You all slept in, didn't you?"

"The trio were having nightmares, so we watched some movies until they fell asleep," Peter said as he fumbled for his glasses that were sitting on the coffee table.

Loki frowned and dipped another slice of bread in the milk and egg mixture. "Nightmares about what?" he asked.

"Wouldn't tell me. Sleip thought it might have been something about their mom since Jory wouldn't say anything at all about it and you know how he gets..." Peter said. Loki hummed, and Peter came over to where Loki was cooking. "It's been a while since you've made this for breakfast."

"And it's a good thing too if the others are feeling down," Loki said as he put a slice of bread into the skillet. "We are out of eggs though. Is there anything else we might need that you know of?"

Peter shrugged as he leaned onto the counter. "I think Jory used the last of the shampoo last night," he said. "He's almost as bad as you are about his hair."

"Well, for that, I won't make coffee for you until I'm done everything else," Loki said. Peter pouted heartily. "Go wake the others for me?"

"Alright," Peter agreed before heading to the bedroom to go wake the four kids sharing Loki's bed. Typically only the three youngest kids shared the bed but with the nightmares, they'd apparently been having before, Loki didn't think it odd at all that the three children of Angrboda had wanted one of the teenagers to stay with them. Peter was only gone for about ten minutes before he returned with the other kids in tow.

"Loki!" Almost immediately his legs were latched onto by a very enthusiastic Hela.

"Hello, Princess," Loki said as he put the pan down so that he could pick the girl up and put her on his hip. "Would you like to go with me to the store later on, sweet thing?" he asked.

"Uh huh!" Hela agreed.

Loki smiled and shifted her so that he could flip the toast with one hand without putting Hela down. "Does anyone need something from the store while I'm out?" Loki asked as the boys started giving themselves some breakfast from the slices already sitting on the counter.

"Can we have soda?" Fenris asked.

"No," Loki said without pause. He wasn't about to waste his money on something that wasn't even healthy for the kids to have. Plus, he couldn't stand off-brand soda, and brand name was always far more expensive than he was willing to pay. "You can request a treat but not that."

Fenris pouted and poked at his breakfast. "Gummi fruit snacks then?"

Loki nodded. "I'll agree to that."

"Can we have pistachios?" Jory asked quietly.

"If that's what you want," Loki agreed. "Sleipnir? Anything for you?"

Sleipnir seemed to think hard for several minutes and then straightened in his seat on the recliner. "Peanut butter cracker sandwiches," he decided.

"Then you'll all get your snacks when I go to the store later on," Loki agreed as he put another piece of toast onto the plate he'd been using as a serving platter. "Do any of you have homework?" Loki asked. There were grumbles and denials, but Loki was able to get the truth with just a few unimpressed glances. "Then while I'm out at the store with Hela, you four make sure you do that."

"I don't have any," Peter offered. "Can I go with you to the store?"

Loki hummed but then nodded. "Yes, if you really want."

"It isn't like I have any homework to do," Peter said.

"I thought you were going to go back to school," Loki said disapprovingly.

Peter shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah... I tried but... well, Flash was there, and he's... let's just say he wasn't keen on seeing me again," he muttered. "I was lucky I ducked down an alley, and he didn't catch me."

"That idiotically named hooligan went after you again?" Loki echoed in outrage.

"You're not going to get all homicidally protective are you?" Peter asked warily.

Loki pushed down his anger with some effort and shifted Hela on his hip. "Maybe," he answered as he put the last of the egg mixture to use on another piece of bread.

"Please don't," Peter said. "It's hard enough trying to get up the nerve to go back to school without worrying about you showing up to beat up Flash."

"I wouldn't beat him... in public," Loki argued. "I'm not stupid."

Peter frowned. "That doesn't actually comfort me much, Loki."

Loki hummed but said nothing else. He just picked up a plate of toast and sat down at the halfheartedly cleared table. Hela was put in his lap, and they started in on the meal with way too much powdered sugar that Hela had heaped on with cheers of how much like snow it was. "When you're shopping can you get more apples too?" Sleipnir asked.

"Are we out of them already?" Loki asked in surprise. Sure, it had been a little while since he'd gone shopping, but he'd gotten two bags of apples knowing how much Sleipnir, in particular, liked to munch on them. Sleipnir looked mildly sheepish even as he nodded. Loki sighed but turned back to his breakfast. "Better than gorging on chocolate all day, I guess. I'll get more apples as well."

"String cheese?" Jory asked.

Loki sighed. "I'm not going to go fill a cart with just snacks for you all," he scolded although there wasn't much bite in his words. The kids muttered apologies immediately anyway. Loki felt the absolutely minor amount of annoyance he'd been feeling melt away entirely and gave them a smile. "I made a little extra money this week," he said. "So we'll see." Loki most definitely did not give into them, he insisted to himself. No. He just... knew they'd do better on their homework when he wasn't around if they were also in a good mood.

After breakfast, Loki let Hela pick out her own outfit, which turned out to be a bright yellow raincoat, green tights, blue shorts with yellow dots on them, and her tennis shoes which were on the wrong feet. The whole thing was terribly adorable, and Loki was just glad that she'd thought to put socks on as well. After Loki changed into some jeans and a slightly worn-thin green sweater, he stashed the majority of the money he'd been paid in a metal Altoids tin sewn into a pocket on the back of the shower caddy hanging in the bathroom. With only enough money to pay for groceries, Loki left with Hela and Peter to walk to the store. Hela was happy enough to just skip along beside them although Loki made sure that he had her hand the whole time. Loki didn't particularly trust the general populace of his own neighborhood. 

The store was more crowded that Loki usually liked since it was a little later in the morning on a Saturday than the time he would most often go shopping. Loki set Hela inside the cart even as he overheard someone shouting. A quick glance told identified the person as Lorelei, which was hardly surprising, although she was arguing with a blonde girl that held a striking resemblance but seemed a few years older. Judging from the nice purse and shoes, the blonde was sporting and the similar features, Loki guessed she was Lorelei's sister. Loki heard just enough to establish that they were arguing over a car or something similar before he headed to the first aisle of the store.

Peter gave him an amused look when he put a package of string cheese in the cart. "What?" Loki asked.

"Nothing," Peter said as he struggled to not smile too widely. Loki poked him in the side in retaliation. Peter yelped and sprung about two feet away. "So mean!"

"No idea what you're talking about," Loki said innocently as he examined some eggs in a carton for any cracks.

Hela thought it was hilarious and giggled uncontrollably for about three solid minutes, not helped in the least by the exaggerated faces that Peter was pulling. Not that Loki was about to complain about that. Keeping the girl entertained while they were shopping was no small feat, and Loki honestly did love hearing how happy she was.

The three of them went through the store picking up everything that the others had requested and the goldfish crackers that Hela wanted. Loki couldn't help but indulge the kids when he finally had the money to do so even though he knew that was probably verging on the side of spoiling them. They put up with a lot though, so he didn't know of anyone who would blame him for it.

Loki was sort of dreading the checkout. Lorelei wasn't kind on a good day, and whatever had been going on when they walked in earlier probably hadn't put her in any better a mood than she usually was in. Loki almost decided to go through another checkout line but -yet again- almost half the registers weren't even open, and Lorelei's line was moving the fastest. Loki sighed and just resolved to rip Lorelei's fake red hair out of her skull if she said even one comment in front of Hela.

As they waited behind a little old lady in line, Hela wanted her crackers, and Loki decided there wasn't any reason to not let her have them since he was buying the bag in just a few minutes. Lorelei sent him a nasty look when he opened the bag but other than looking like she was trying to make out with a lemon a few moments earlier and still suffering for it, didn't actually speak up. The old lady in front seemed to take forever to write out her check -which Loki hadn't seen anyone use in _ages_ to pay for things- but other than that it didn't take too long for it to be Loki's turn.

"Loki," Lorelei said through what was obviously a faked smile.

"Lorelei."

"I'm going to need those," the redhead said with a gesture to the bag that Hela was digging into.

Peter obviously caught the tension and kept glancing back and forth as he unloaded the groceries. "Yes, I know. Hela, baby, let the nice girl see the bag for a moment," Loki said as he gently pried the bag away. She had probably had enough for now anyway. Lorelei narrowed her eyes, perhaps at being called a girl, but just scanned the package with a huff and then punched several keys on her machine harder than was really necessary.

"Done well for yourself again, I see," Lorelei said, still trying to have a smile despite it being a badly faked one.

"Well, it's not scanning barcodes and taking checks from little old ladies, but I make do," Loki replied. He was glad that Lorelei was not obvious with her vitriol, but that didn't mean he wouldn't poke back. Lorelei huffed and grumbled to herself in German. Loki narrowed his eyes but didn't let on that he knew passable German, though he hadn't spoken it in so long he'd forgotten quite a bit of it. He was actually a bit surprised that _she_ knew it if he were honest. Lorelei hadn't exactly struck him as a girl particularly interested in education.

Loki paid the bill and helped Peter pack away the last few bags. As he left, he couldn't entirely stop himself from telling Lorelei to fuck right off with her opinions in German. He might have fudged the pronunciation since it had been so long but judging by the way her mouth dropped in utter surprise and offense, Loki had gotten close enough to make it clear he had known the language. Loki let himself smirk even as he left with a bewildered looking Peter and a happily oblivious Hela. "What did you say to her?" Peter asked as the glass doors slid closed behind them.

"Oh, nothing to worry about," Loki said as he hooked several of the bags. He was glad that Peter had come with him as carrying so many parcels and keeping Hela close would have been a bit of a pain. Loki had let himself get carried away in the store. Loki was just putting Hela on her feet when something down the walkway caught his attention. The blonde that he supposed was the harpy's sister was sitting on the curb with her phone in her hands. She was texting quickly, but even with her head bowed and her long hair hanging sort of in the way, Loki could easily tell that she had been crying.

Peter followed Loki's gaze and frowned. "Wasn't that the girl yelling in the store earlier?"

Loki sighed. "Yes."

There was a heartbeat or two of awkward silence. "Should... should we do something?" Peter asked hesitantly. It was generally accepted that one minded their own business in this area of the city, but really, the girl was just begging to be targeted. If she really was Lorelei's sister, which Loki didn't doubt, she was so far away from her side of town it was downright a miracle nobody had bothered her yet.

Again, Loki sighed. He felt like he was going to regret this. "Stay here with Hela," he said as he put his bags into the grocery cart again. He'd check on her and make sure she was waiting for a cab or something, then go home. If he didn't well, Loki didn't particularly like crying women. They made him uncomfortable -which was why Tasha's ability to never cry and take everything in stride was so refreshing to him. Plus she'd probably end up in a ditch without some interference. It might be broad daylight, but the girl really was not doing anything smart right then. Loki wasn't sure how to approach the blonde at first, as he didn't want to startle her but had to talk to her to make sure she was alright.

Loki sat down on the curb just a foot down from her and watched as a man cursed at his car on the other side of the parking lot for not starting. "So, I'm not really an expert in the female... condition, but I somehow doubt that sitting on a curb in a neighborhood you clearly have never been before crying your eyes out and staring at your phone are at all good signs," Loki began as neutrally as he could manage.

The blonde, who Loki guessed was only perhaps two or three years younger than him, stiffened immediately and looked at him so fast her hair almost whipped him across the face as it swung. "I'm fine!" she said quickly.

"Ah. Then this has nothing to do with that rather loud argument with, I'm going to guess, younger sister?"

She gaped at him for a moment and then wiped her face although her makeup was already kind of wrecked. Loki figured it wouldn't be the smartest thing to point that out. "It's not the argument. We argue all the time. Lorelei is... well..."

"Kind of a bitch?" Loki offered dryly.

She let out a single laugh even as she glanced at her phone anxiously. "She's sort of a brat is all. Mom and Dad have always treated her like a Princess... this is the first time she's ever actually been punished. But, no, my whole week has just been... one of those weeks."

Loki nodded in understanding. "I understand. My brother is the same golden child that's never punished." Or he had been when Loki had last seen his family, but he doubted his family had changed much. "Are you going to be alright though? I heard you wanting to borrow a car or something... are you stranded here?"

Lorelei's sister hesitated for a moment and then nodded. "My car is sort of... gone. I had a friend drive me here so I could borrow Lorelei's because I needed to go to a really important job interview and my friend had to go to her own job and couldn't get me that far. I thought Lorelei would be reasonable for once since I only needed it for a few hours but heaven forbid she grants Amora a favor!"

Amora, as Loki assumed her name was, sighed and ran a hand through her hair. "My 'replacement' car should be at my apartment by now, but it's too late to make the meeting," she said in a dejected tone.

"Why didn't you tell the rental agency to bring the car here?" Loki asked in bewilderment. Most rental places he was aware of would drive the car pretty much wherever.

"It's not a rental. It's a replacement," Amora corrected. At Loki's confused expression she sighed. "My boyfriend... kind of sold my car and got me a new one without letting me know about it. I guess he meant for it to be a surprise gift or something."

"And he didn't offer to take you to your interview?" Loki asked. If this whole mess was his lack of planning, he should have fixed it.

"He doesn't think I need to work," Amora replied. "But I like what I do..."

Loki scoffed, entirely unimpressed. "What an ass," he decided instantly. Loki had been with guys that sounded a lot like Amora's boyfriend. Thoughtless pigs. How they didn't all get exiled to an island where they could be jerks to each other and leave innocent people out of it, Loki had no clue. Loki got to his feet, having decided something else quite quickly. "Well, how about you walk with us for a while. Get your thoughts together and stop crying your eyes out in the street. Then you can call for a cab or catch a bus whenever you feel better?" he offered.

Amora quite obviously hesitated at the offer. Loki was glad to see she had that much awareness to not wander off with a stranger. Loki nodded over to where Peter and Hela were waiting. "We have groceries to get home otherwise I'd stay here until you got a ride," he explained. Amora relaxed visibly at the sight of the teen and little girl watching them. "And you sitting here crying is a giant neon sign asking to get mugged." _Or worse,_ Loki added to himself.

"I don't even know who you are," Amora protested.

"The name is Loki. That's Peter and Hela over there," he introduced. "And I promise I'm going to walk through all the populated streets and not take you down any quiet back alleys."

Amora bit her lip and eyed him for a moment before nodding and getting to her feet. Loki nodded and then went to get the kids and the groceries that he'd been about to carry. "What's going on?" Peter asked quietly.

"She's going to walk with us for a bit, that's all," Loki said as he picked up the bags. "She looks damn pathetic crying there like that. Don't worry. It's not like I'll be inviting her in for dinner or anything." Loki's disquiet at leaving a woman crying alone would definitely entirely disappear long before they got home and then he wouldn't feel so compelled to do anything for Lorelei's sister. Amora was a grown woman that could look after herself, presumably. Loki had enough on his plate looking after the five kids.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there wasn't going to be this many sub plots in this story... I was definitely just going to stick with the main story and that's it. But, the serial killer plot has shifted (although the full extent will only come out later on). This Amora side plot was inspired by a thing I've been toying with for a while and figured this story was a great one to put it in. Also, also, Loki is a total push over.


	13. Chapter 13

The more that Loki heard about Amora's boyfriend the less impressed he was by him. She wouldn't tell Loki who this man was because apparently he was rich and powerful enough to be known and had her sign a non-disclosure agreement. That was alarming enough on it's own, really, but on top of him having sold and replaced her car without telling her it struck Loki that the man was controlling. Loki wasn't even sure that it was _legal_ for him to have sold her car like that, but he had never tried to own, sell, or buy a car in any capacity so he might be wrong about that. His uncertainty plus the fact that he'd only just met Amora that day led to Loki holding his tongue -at least in regard to that issue. There were plenty of other things that Amora told him that Loki was not as magnanimous about.

"So, you've been dating for only a month and he's sent you a diamond Tiffany bracelet already?"

Amora nodded. "I looked up the design online and it runs like... three thousand dollars or something crazy," she said as she ran her hand through her long blonde hair. "I mean, don't get me wrong, it's pretty, but I wasn't really expecting something... so expensive."

"He must be insecure about himself if he's trying to buy your affection," Loki guessed.

"Trust me, he has _nothing_ to feel insecure about," Amora said with a short laugh.

Loki gave a wry smile. "There are plenty of different things that he could be insecure about, Amora," he pointed out. "Overcompensation doesn't necessarily immediately mean he has a small penis."

"Well, he definitely doesn't," Amora said with a vaguely dreamy look on her face.

Loki chuckled. "He's that impressive, eh?"

"He is," she insisted.

Loki shook his head and privately doubted Amora's assessment. She seemed entirely too smitten with her boyfriend and Loki was by far the more experience of them, but he let her have her rose-tinted glasses about the mystery boyfriend. "Did he say why he gave you such an expensive gift?" Loki asked.

Amora rolled her eyes. "Just that he wanted to buy it for me. I told him I didn't need him to buy me things, but he got all huffy about it so I figured it was best to drop it for now."

"Huffy how?" Loki questioned even as he glanced further ahead to keep an eye on where Peter and Hela were walking. Hela was attempting to 'help' Peter by carrying a bunch of bananas, and it was so adorable Loki quickly snapped off a picture with his phone. Loki nearly dropped his own bags in the effort but managed to save it at the last moment. 

"He said something about undermining him and making him seem like he couldn't take care of me, I don't know," Amora said with a sigh. "It seemed silly, but he was so adamant about it maybe I was..."

Loki snorted. "I doubt that. Why did he change your car, by the way?"

"Mine was kind of old," Amora admitted. "I bought it myself in high school! I mean, it wasn't a rust bucket or anything, but it took me all my junior year to save up for it."

"Well, if it worked I wouldn't have gotten a new one either," Loki said. "Admittedly, I have no car in the first place so I might not be the one to take advice from here."

"Karl said the same thing," Amora told him. "So maybe the both of you are onto something."

"Karl?" Loki echoed. That name Amora hadn't mentioned earlier and considering she wouldn't tell him the name of her boyfriend, Loki guessed that wasn't who 'Karl' was.

"My friend from Highschool," Amora supplied. "Goes by the name 'Skurge' because he's in this Death Rock band or something. Absolutely ridiculous," she said with a fond shake of her head.

Loki snorted a little. "Skurge, huh? Dramatic of him," he said. "But then all rock artists seem to be in one way or another. What's this band's name?"

"Apocalypse Dawn," Amora said with another eye roll. "He's their bassist, I think. There's also Archangel, Killmonger, Ghost, and their singer is Typhoid Mary or something."

Loki chuckled. "Yeah, that sounds about right," he agreed. "Are they any good?"

Amora shrugged. "I guess, they get gigs, at least. Not really my kind of music, to be honest."

"Understandable, Death Rock isn't for everyone," Loki agreed.

They walked another few feet and Amora came to a stop. "I should probably call that cab," she said. "Thanks for walking with me, Loki."

"Not a problem," Loki said. He contemplated everything they had spoke about on their walk for a moment and then came to a decision. "Let me see your phone."

Surprised, Amora didn't even question him and put her smartphone in Loki's extended hand. He quickly dialed in his own number and called himself. Once the phone in his pocket rang he hung up and handed Amora's back over. "Call me if you end up in this area stranded again... or if your boyfriend is just being an ass and you want to talk to someone about him," Loki said.

"He doesn't really like me calling other men," Amora said hesitantly although she saved his numbed.

Loki frowned, disliking that even more than his clear need to use money to make up for... whatever he was making up for. "Well, tell him I sleep with men and he'll probably let it go," Loki said with an annoyed eye roll. True, Loki didn't only sleep with men (Loki was pretty fluid in what he liked), but he was absolutely sure that Amora's boyfriend didn't need to know that.

Amora thought about it for a second and then nodded. "Alright," she agreed.

"Stay right there, by that bus stop when waiting for your cab. Everyone knows that there's three cameras right around here, one pointing right at the stop itself. And call a real cab not one of those stupid driving services," Loki said. "Real cabs have to get licensed and are quite obviously cabs." Loki never trusted the idea of hiring out random people in their own cars to drive around. All it would take was someone printing out a sticker with the name of the company on it and they could pick up any random person without leaving a trace. Loki could think of three ways to exploit that right off the top of his head and he didn't think he was the only one.

"You sound kinda paranoid," Amora pointed out.

" _I_ am still alive in a very high risk neighborhood in an even higher risk line of work," Loki replied. "Paranoia has served me well."

Amora looked thoughtful. "You know, you didn't mention what you _did_ do..."

"Get home safe, Amora," Loki said instead of answering. He didn't wait to see if Amora would press the issue and just hurried to catch up to where Peter and Hela had stopped about halfway up the block when they realized Loki had hung back too far.

"Everything alright?" Peter asked as Loki reached down to take Hela's hand.

Loki nodded. "Yes, of course, let's finish getting home, hm? I'm sure the boys have stopped doing their homework by now and need to be gotten back on track." Hela giggled at that and cheerfully skipped along as they started moving again.

The rest of the day went well enough with the kids. He tried to help with their homework and managed to do so to a point, but not having finished school himself was a hindrance to Loki's efforts. Part of Loki really wished he had time to take classes or online courses to actually get a GED or something as he'd always liked learning new things and he'd been good at school, but that just wasn't currently feasible. Loki squeezed in a nap for several hours right after lunch that should get him through another night of work. Of course, Loki couldn't help but hold out hope that it would be one of his last nights on the street. He had no idea if Stark would actually follow through with his promise or if one client would be enough to really pay him the money he needed to provide for himself and the kids, but progress of any sort was something to be looked forward to.

Loki cooked dinner and made sure that the younger kids had taken showers or baths before saying goodnight and heading out to the streets again dressed in his usual tight leather pants and tattered top.

"Where's Tasha been lately, Loki?" One of the other girls on the street, Alice or something, asked as Loki walked past.

"Moved on," Loki replied. "Got a better offer." 

Alice made a face. "Better offer like what?"

"Escorts," Loki supplied. Alice whined some but Loki was already halfway down the street and wasn't about to stop. He had a living to make, after all. He wasn't about to miss out on a day of potential work just because it should hopefully be his last.

A bit after midnight, Loki was approached by two men that had a distinct look of _cop_ and he only just suppressed his groan. He didn't know how long the men in the cheap suits that had driven up in a black Crown Vic had been watching him but he hoped it wasn't very long. Loki had already had several Johns that night and would really rather not go to jail when he was so close to getting off the streets. "I'm just standing here," Loki said before the two officers could even start.

"Yeah for now," one of them replied.

"We're not here to bust you," the other said. "But we heard you were one of the veterans out here. Can we ask you a few things?"

"Really rather you didn't," Loki replied as he leaned back against his light post, although he made an effort to do so in a manner that wasn't alluring for once.

The second man, a rather attractive black man with his hair kept shaved very close to his skull, reached into the interior breast pocket of his suit and pulled something out. Loki sighed as a mug shot of a somewhat familiar man was held up. "Recognize him?" Loki didn't answer at first, not wanting to be all that helpful since they were ruining his night.

"I told you he wouldn't be helpful, Trip," the other cop said after a minute.

The one apparently named Trip gave his partner a slight look of annoyance before turning back to Loki. "Come on, I just want to know about him. You recognize him right?"

"... yeah maybe," Loki said unhelpfully.

"Sooner you tell us the sooner we get out of your hair," Trip pointed out lightly while waving the photo a little.

Loki glared but then sighed and snatched the picture to take a closer look. If he didn't send these cops pounding the pavement somewhere else, his profits for the night would take a serious hit. The obviously drug addicted man had dark circles around his eyes and his dark hair hung half in his face in oily clumps, but the tattoo on the neck was distinctive. "His name's Hans. Works a couple streets over and up a block. Got in town about a year ago... maybe a little more. Apparently, got into drugs in prison and after trying selling them himself and just sampling the stock too much found himself in debt to the wrong crowd, started selling himself to make it up," Loki rattled off.

"He got a pimp?" Trip's partner, whom Loki still hadn't caught the name of asked.

"Did. Went to jail a month and a half ago in a drug bust," Loki answered. "Kind of expecting Hans to keel over dead from an OD any day now. Why?"

"Sounds like he was an European immigrant? Is that right? Maybe illegal?" Trip asked, ignoring Loki's question.

Loki's eyes narrowed slightly. "... yeah. Again, why?" He was not oblivious to the fact that Hans had a passing resemblance to himself, and, just like Loki, was an illegal from Europe. A different part of Europe but that was minor in Loki's mind.

"They dredged him outta the river this afternoon," the unnamed officer said casually. "Bullet in his gut. How's he been working since his pimp's been in jail?"

Loki felt something inside of him freeze over. "This the work of that guy that killed the others?" he asked. He knew two of the killings were definitely by the same guy because of Jameson and if there were now _four_ that was definitely a serial killer and Loki didn't like falling into the maniac's apparent preference. 

"Not really at liberty to discuss that," Trip answered. "Was Hans freelancing?"

"Not sure," Loki answered even as his mind raced. "We weren't that close. I hadn't even really seen him since his pimp got put away." Loki had assumed that Hans was on a bender and, as he said, would be found dead from an OD sometime soon.

Trip pulled out another few pictures and held them up. The first was the only female in the group and she looked particularly haggard. Lisa, the first victim. The other two pictures were of men that Loki recognized from the streets as well. "When's the last time you saw these three?"

"I assume you mean other than seeing them on the news saying they'd been murdered," Loki said as his mind quickly identified them all as having come from other countries. All three also had dark hair although he knew that Hans and the first guy had dyed it that way. "Lisa I saw just a few days before she turned up the others... I haven't seen them in a little while. Maybe a week or so before they went missing? People come and go all the time so I didn't really notice exactly."

"Any of them share territory or drug dealers or anything like that?" Trip asked. Loki shook his head. Trip obviously had noticed the similarities himself because he narrowed his eyes and his next question was, "You sound like you're from Europe aren't you?"

"Originally, yes." Loki was feeling vaguely ill.

"You might want to stay off the streets if you can," Trip said as he pocketed the photos. "This guy seems to have a thing for dark haired Europeans."

"...I _had_ noticed, yes," Loki replied weakly.

"You notice anybody watching you lately?" the partner asked, suddenly seemingly much more interested.

Loki shrugged. "People watch me all the time. Nobody sticks out though." Plenty of people would stare but not have the guts to actually come up and buy him. Loki had grown able to judge which were most likely to be convinced to come over and buy and which weren't. Those that weren't he didn't bother with taking note of.

Trip and his partner exchanged a glance but said nothing else. "Well, thanks for the info. Stay safe," Trip said as they started walking off.

"They were shot right?" Loki called before they'd gotten a too many steps away.

Trip paused and turned back. "Yeah. In the stomach. Why?"

"Was that it?" A gunshot wound to the stomach was survivable but painful as hell, Loki had heard. If they were just being shot and dumped in the river, even if Loki was attacked it was possible that he'd survive.

The officers looked suspicious and Loki wished he hadn't asked, but for his own sake he needed to know as much as possible. He was apparently just what this psycho wanted and he needed to be able to protect himself. "Why would you ask that?" the unnamed officer asked. "Do you know something?"

"No," Loki said instantly. "I would just like to know how dead I am if this guy decides to get his rocks off with me next."

Trip relaxed a little. "Seems he holds them for a while before shooting them, so you'd have a chance." Oh, well that was such a _pleasant_ bit of news. "Still would be better if you just stay off the street, though."

"Right," Loki said with a short laugh. There was nothing funny about this at all, but Loki couldn't help but be morbidly incredulous of the people who thought that it was such a simple matter of _wanting_ to stop. As if there weren't _reasons_ behind his life choices. "And are you going to pay my rent and groceries and everything else?"

Trip looked uncomfortable again. "Can't really afford to."

"You and me both," Loki replied.

"Well, at least stick with customers you know, alright?" Trip suggested. Loki nodded a little and folded his arms. Not bad advice but if things got dire Loki wouldn't be able to follow it no matter how much he might want to. Trip sighed and the two officers got into their unmarked car and drove off.

Feeling anxious and just far, _far_ too exposed, Loki only stood there for a few minutes before starting to walk. He kept to his usual section of street and tried to not think too much about what he'd learned. Being a dark haired European was not that unusual. The fact that someone was turned on by them and had a penchant for then shooting said people after sex wasn't even that odd. But Loki truly did not like being within this particular demographic. Perhaps he should dye his hair? Loki made a face at the thought. He certainly didn't want to have that hassle and he didn't even think he'd look all that good as, say, a blonde.

Loki shook his head and tried to not think about it. The chances of him being targeted had to be rather small, right? He certainly hoped so. The eyes of people watching Loki walk the street hadn't been so obvious and so uncomfortable since Loki was fifteen. Loki wished that he could shake the discomfort but he was overly aware of everything.

Loki reminded himself that he just had to get through that night. He would hopefully never have to stand on a street corner again once Tony made a phone call to Shield. That thought cheered him up substantially and helped him relax again. When a man who was in plains clothes -but had a definite army tattoo that Loki saw later on- finally got up the nerve to approach, Loki was even able to act as if he was enthusiastic about the whole thing. His customer seemed to appreciate his change in mindset.

Still, Loki decided to not take any jobs that seemed even vaguely risky no matter the payout promised. One man wanted to take Loki to a hotel he'd never done business in before and so Loki turned him to a nearer establishment that Loki knew better. Another was very insistent on Loki spending the rest of the night at some party and Loki very firmly turned that one down entirely. 

Loki was just calling it a night when the television at the newsstand started broadcasting the earliest reports. Since it was the most news apart from headlines that Loki usually was aware of, Loki paused a moment to see what the major stories were.

Tony Stark's face flashed up on the screen and Loki felt his treacherously hopeful heart drop straight out of his chest when the word 'Missing' in bright red letters crossed the bottom of the picture. "Billionaire and President of Stark Industries, Tony Stark, is missing this morning after a roadside bomb detonated and killed five soldiers that were escorting the weapons manufacturer from a meeting with army officials." The newscaster continued to ramble about whatever the story was but Loki wasn't really listening to that. His mind had gotten stuck on key words like 'Stark' 'missing' and 'bomb' and realizing that his saving grace was not going to be what he'd hoped it would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dun dun dun duuuuuun


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It'll sadly be a little while before Tony shows back up again, but life must go on in his absence.

Loki was surprised when he opened the door to see a very drawn out Angrboda standing there. "Boda." Loki couldn't recall the last time he'd seen the woman up and about so early and he sort of wished he had actual clothes on to face her rather than just his quickly dampening robe. Really, she was lucky he'd even heard her knocking over the sound of the shower.

"Loki. You have my kids?" she asked.

"Are you sober?" Loki asked as his eyes trailed down her disheveled clothes and spotted several fresh-looking track marks in her arm. "You don't look sober... or properly bathed." Her hair was hanging in limp sections that looked overly shiny from oils and dirt.

Boda rolled her eyes. "I can look after my own kids, Loki."

"Really? What day is it?" Loki asked as he leaned his arm against the upper part of the doorframe.

"What?"

"The date, Angrboda," Loki repeated firmly. "What do you think today is?"

Angrboda scoffed. "The thirteenth."

"It's the _twenty-sixth_ ," Loki corrected, slightly incredulous but mostly angry. "You've been on a bender for almost two weeks, and I'm going to guess you remembered approximately zero percent of it. You can't take care of yourself, let alone three kids."

"I know what I'm doing, Loki."

"I highly doubt that. You need rehab, Boda, before you end up dead," Loki said firmly. "They deserve someone stable."

"Like you're stable?" Angrboda demanded. "At least I have a job and don't sell myself on a street corner."

Loki felt his anger and frustration spike, but he pushed it all down as best he could. He'd had this exact argument with Angrboda before and was used to people judging him. He pushed some wet strands of hair out of his face before letting out a long breath that was attempting to be calming. "You've been on a bender for two weeks, Boda... you lost your job," Loki assured her. He had no way of knowing that for certain, of course, but that outcome was almost guaranteed. This exact thing had often happened before, after all.

"You don't know that," Boda said sulkily.

"Alright, call it a prediction then," Loki drawled. He was in no mood for this argument. He needed to finish his shower and then start breakfast so that the kids could go to school. "But if you're not sober, you're not taking them. That's final."

"I could call the cops on you for kidnapping," she threatened.

Loki wasn't really that intimidated by Angrboda or her posturing. "You won't call the cops, Boda. You've got too many drugs in your apartment to risk them snooping around." She would get thrown into jail just as fast as Loki would.

Boda frowned but then switched tactics. "Come on, Loki. We used to get along so much better than this," she said sweetly as she leaned close and slid her hand into Loki's robe to rub across his still damp torso. Loki stiffened immediately. "That was the whole reason you moved into this place, wasn't it? Because you were hot for me?"

"Hands to yourself, Angrboda," Loki said as firmly as he was able. Angrboda smelled of cheap booze and weed although Loki was sure that wasn't all that was currently in her system.

Angrboda didn't seem to hear him or just didn't care and leaned closer to press herself against him and put her mouth to where his pulse was thundering under the skin of his neck. "Don't you remember that night, Loki? I do. You were so much nicer back then."

"That was one time, and we were both drunk off our asses," Loki hissed. "Now stop touching me." His gaze was fixed to the wall opposite his door. There was a crack running down it and a dent where someone or something had quite obviously busted partially through the drywall.

"You know, all our problems would be solved if you married me," Angrboda said in a voice that Loki thought she probably meant to be seductive, but Loki only could hear it as oily and predatory. "You'd be a citizen, and we'd both get the kids-"

"And you'd take all my money to get high," Loki snapped. "Oh, yes, the American Dream that." Angrboda's hand slid and grabbed his ass, and Loki jerked. It took all of his restraint to not throw her away from him, but Loki knew the game she was trying to play. Police wouldn't think twice about locking him up for 'domestic abuse' if she were to go to them crying and they wouldn't have a reason to search her place since it happened at his. Loki wasn't going to open himself up to that, but everything in him was sickened and wanting to flee the situation. Loki dug his fingers into the wood of the doorframe. "Boda... if you do not stop touching me, I will break into your place and sell all your drugs."

Angrboda froze halfway through groping his ass and licking his jaw. She sprung back quickly, and Loki quickly fixed his robe from where her hands had nearly worked it completely open. "Why are you being so damned difficult about this, Loki?" she hissed.

"I'm not selling myself to you, Boda," Loki told her.

"You sell yourself to everyone else," she snapped.

"I sell my body. Not myself," Loki said. "There's a difference."

Angrboda scoffed. "Whatever helps you sleep, Loki," she said before turning and starting to walk away.

"I thought you wanted your kids," Loki said. Angrboda stopped, and her back was ramrod straight. "Or are you going to go get high again because you didn't get your way?"

Angrboda whipped around. "You have no room to judge me," she snapped. "You forget that I was there when you used to shoot up just as often as I do."

Loki scowled. "The difference is, Boda... that I stopped running to the drugs to forget and started living again. You haven't. Believe me, I understand it's not easy to stop. The desire to forget for just a little while never goes away, but I didn't want my fate to be 'found ODed in a gutter,' and I don't really want that for you either."

Angrboda stared at him for a long moment and then shrugged. "What can I say, Loki? I'm not a quitter," she said before going into her apartment and slamming the door closed. Loki sighed heavily and went back into his own place. Chances were he wouldn't be seeing Angrboda for another four or five days at least.

Perhaps Loki was being a touch hypocritical, but he was fairly certain if he could muster up the ability to get off drugs after the things he used to pump into his veins then so could Angrboda. He hadn't gotten high in coming onto eight years although he had risked it a few times taking painkillers that had whet his appetite a little too much. Loki wasn't entirely sure how he had managed to restrain himself, but he figured it was primarily because it wasn't just him anymore to worry about. They were, after all, the reason he'd quit in the first place.

Loki hadn't at first noticed Sleipnir and his father due to his own haze at the time but when he did, he'd not been able to just ignore it. Loki's heart went out to the boy who's downtrodden expression Loki had seen far too many times. Loki'd started to get sober so that he'd be able to help Sleipnir at least have a safe place to go when his dad became a drunken loon. Shortly after that Angrboda ended up pregnant with Jormungundr and Loki had known that his at the time friend was nowhere near capable of taking care of a baby so had almost automatically stepped up.

Only after Jormungundr was born and Loki was trying desperately to figure out how to deal with newborns that he met Nat. She was surprisingly knowledgeable about baby things, and since Angrboda had no interest in helping at all, Loki found himself switching from her drugged up presence to Natasha's snarky yet sober one. A change that Loki found was for the immense better. Loki had never told Natasha that he'd once been almost as bad as Angrboda was now, but he sometimes wondered if she knew. The redhead certainly pointed out how bad an influence Angrboda was every time she could -as if Loki somehow needed to be reminded of it- and sometimes Natasha gave him this look as if she was trying to gauge how stressed he was. He must have some sort of tell that he was unaware of, because usually, when he was really fighting the urge to dig out his emergency pain pills or go to Angrboda's place, Natasha would show up with some cheap beer and keep him company for the day until Loki finally relaxed a little.

Loki quickly finished drying off and then got dressed before making some breakfast for the kids. As he was putting the coffee on for himself and Peter, Loki's phone let out the tone that said he'd gotten a message. Curious, Loki picked up the device and unlocked it even as he kicked the sofa that Peter was sleeping on. Peter grunted but didn't lift his head.

"Up," Loki said as he read what Natasha had sent as a message.

**'I found out who recommended me.'**

"Wha' time's it?" Peter asked.

"Time for breakfast. And you promised you'd try to go to school again today," Loki reminded him. Peter had only promised so that Loki wouldn't go and have a 'chat' with Flash, but that was beside the point.

 **'Oh? Who's that?** '

Peter grumbled but pushed himself up. "Coffee?" he asked through a yawn.

"Brewing now. Take a shower," Loki replied as he bent down to give Sleipnir a nudge where he was sleeping on the mattress in front of the couch. "Sleip, time to get up so you can get ready for school."

Loki's phone went off again. **'My sharp-eyed regular.** '

Loki frowned at the answer. From what Natasha had told him aboutthat particular regular he wasn't a high-powered figure or particularly well off. **'How is he related to Shield?'**

Peter finally got up from where he was and shuffled off to the bathroom while Sleipnir sat up in his mass of blankets and sheets and looked around as if still in a daze. Loki went to wake up the other kids sleeping in his bed, and as they slowly started to wake up, he heard the shower going.

Only after Loki had poured a cup of coffee for himself and Peter did he bother to check his phone, which he'd left on the table when he went to wake the siblings in the other room. **'He's one of their bodyguards. They didn't like him risking his health and asked him to stop. Clint countered with they should just hire me,'** Nat's text explained.

**'Must be nice.'**

Loki looked up as Sleipnir sat down at the breakfast bar although he looked like he might fall asleep where he was sitting. "You going to make it, Sleip?" Loki asked in amusement as he put some eggs and toast on a plate for him.

"Mmhmm," Sleipnir hummed. "Maybe I should start drinking coffee too..." he muttered as he eyed the mug sitting there for when Peter came out of the shower.

"Or maybe you could go to sleep earlier," Loki replied. Sleipnir made a face that made Loki chuckle. "Just a thought."

The rush to get the kids fed, bathed, clothed, and out of the door in time for them to get to school on time was predictably chaotic, but Loki managed it as best he could. At least the morning was slightly staggered, with Jory and Fenris not having to leave as early as Peter and Sleipnir did so Loki could focus on getting the older two out first and then worry about the younger two.

Fenris had been a particular pain that morning because he couldn't find his shoes and then his homework and then his jacket and by the time Loki had managed to get it all straight, Fenris barely had time to shovel some food in his mouth before Jory dragged him out the door to get to the bus. If the whole drama hadn't driven Loki crazy, he might have found it amusing. Hela certainly seemed to be entertained by watching her brothers, and Loki dart about the small apartment that _really_ should not have been so easy to lose things within.

Loki stayed up for a little while with Hela but then his busy night began to catch up with him. He took a nap while Hela played some games on the bed beside him and an alarm on his phone that woke him up around lunchtime. Loki continued his nap after lunch for another hour or so before getting up to spend some time with his Princess.

The boys started wandering back in, and Loki was glad to see that Peter apparently had made it to classes. He'd even talked most of his teachers into giving him special projects to make up the two months of work that he'd skipped out on. None of them guaranteed that he would make up enough points with the work to do more than pass the class but Loki was glad that they were even giving him that much.

"Loki?"

"Yes, Peter?" Loki asked as he browned some ground beef in a skillet for dinner.

"Did you ever take Calculus?" Peter asked as he looked over a very thick looking packet.

Loki tried to not scoff at the question. "Peter, I left school at thirteen... no, I've never taken Calculus. You are soundly ahead of me in all subjects," he said. Even though Loki had been in advanced courses for his age that still didn't make up the gap from what he'd been learning and what Peter was now taking.

"Oh... I guess I'll need to see if I can figure this out at the library then," Peter mused. "They've got online courses about this stuff now."

"Are they free?"

"Some of them," Peter supplied as he flipped through his packet. "Some of them are services you pay for. I didn't know you left school that early, Loki."

Loki shrugged and drained the grease from the meat off into an empty can that had held green beans. "Yes, well, I didn't think at the time I had much of a choice. But, that's neither here nor there. How long do you have to do those make up assignments?"

"Two weeks," Peter supplied. "Calc's definitely going to be the hardest though. I think they went through half the textbook or something while I was out..."

"Lucky you're so good at math and science then, eh?" Loki said before looking over at where the other three boys were around the coffee table. "What about you three? You have homework, I take it?" They grumbled their agreement. "Well, get to it."

"My social studies class wants me to write a page on current world topics," Sleipnir said. "Is the cable still out?"

Loki sighed. He hadn't paid the cable bill in ages since it wasn't a necessity. Most of what he used the television for was playing movies through the player and not actual TV. "Yes, but we should still get local channels, and they'll at least mention the big news stories, hold on a minute."

After setting aside the meat for a moment, Loki went over to the old television and fiddled with the inputs and channels until they reached the few local channels that they did get. "Here, if you don't get enough we'll look up some articles on my phone after dinner," Loki said as he handed the remote to Sleipnir.

"Are you not going out tonight?" Peter asked.

Loki hesitated for a moment. Though he rarely skipped a day the news he'd heard the night before had greatly shaken him. Loki was caught in an awkward situation. If he didn't go out he might risk losing his prime street corner and the money he needed, but the more he was out, the more money he made and the greater his chance of death seemed to be. "I'll be going out... just a little later than usual. I'll probably also be in early. Taking it easy, you know?"

Peter looked suspicious but didn't question things further, to which Loki couldn't be happier. Loki wasn't sure if Peter had caught onto the fact that the serial killer seemed to like Loki's type, but he hoped the boy hadn't. News like that would only worry Peter more and Loki would much rather him focus on his schooling and not Loki.

Loki only half listened as Sleipnir watched the news for his project. When Tony's name came up Loki couldn't help but turn quickly, the reporter was just outlining what Loki had already heard and that no new information was available. Loki wasn't terribly surprised by that -it had only been a day, after all- but still rather disappointed.

Loki continued cooking with only part of his attention as he tried to not dwell on the news about Tony Stark being missing. Though, he found that was a harder prospect than Loki had thought it might be. Loki hadn't realized how much he was counting on Tony actually following through with his promise until it was clear that he wouldn't be _able_ to follow through. Loki usually didn't trust anyone to keep their word -aside from occasionally Nat. To realize that he actually had trusted Tony even that much was startling.

As Loki tried to figure out _why_ he would trust a John of all people, he realized he actually _liked_ the man a bit. Normally, Loki threw up a dozen or so thick walls between himself and his clients for his own protection, but Tony Stark had bashed through all of them without Loki realizing it. Furthermore, Loki realized that even more than to save his own skin, he really did hope that they found Tony alive somewhere. It was a bizarre feeling that Loki had no idea what to do with. He'd only met the man twice and those times for business. Loki was utterly unprepared for any deeper relationship than that of a rather nice John that paid him well. Even hoping for a Sugar Daddy had been pushing it in Loki's opinion. 

As the kids ate, Loki continued to contemplate. Even if he did hope the man was alive wherever he disappeared to, it wasn't as if Loki could do anything about it. Loki didn't pray, as he had an incredible lack of faith in most anything, and he had no connections to any influential people. Nothing that Tony himself didn't have a thousand more of, most likely. Still, Loki decided it couldn't hurt anything and sent up a silent prayer anyway. Loki would have to find his own way to survive and just hope that Tony Stark was able to do the same.


	15. Chapter 15

Loki pushed himself up from the bed and ran a hand through his damp hair. The woman beneath him, whom he could still taste on his lips and tongue was panting for air. "Good God," the woman gasped as Loki leaned back. "You've got a wicked tongue."

"Didn't I tell you, Holly?" the second woman asked from where she was draped over Loki's shoulders. "He's just the best."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I'm so glad you enjoyed it," he said, not quite managing to hold back the sarcasm. The woman that Loki was more familiar with leaned past to catch 'Holly's lips with her own. Loki tried to wait patiently as he knew his particular role in this scenario was more as a toy, since apparently just them getting a strap-on wasn't enough. Holly was the new girlfriend in this couple but judging by how she had moaned and tugged on his hair as he ate her out she would probably last a little while, unlike the last one. After several minutes, the two of them broke the kiss breathlessly, and Loki went back to what he was here for.

Another two hours later, Loki was freshly showered and pulling his pants back up as the ladies lounged on the bed. "Here's your money, Loki," Holly's girlfriend said as she pulled out several large bills from a pink change purse that she produced from a drawer in the side table.

Loki took it and tucked it away in his wallet before reaching for his shirts -this time two tank tops that almost formed a whole one between how tattered they were- to finish getting dressed. "Hey, when we came up to you on the phone earlier, you were saying something about a lawyer," Holly said from her spot. "Did you get in trouble?"

"Not really, but I need some legal papers looked over and filed," Loki answered as he pulled his many pieces of jewelry on. "Why, are you a lawyer?"

"Not me, but my cousin has a law firm somewhere in Hell's Kitchen. Apparently does a lot of pro-Bono work. He might be able to help you out," Holly supplied. "Kind of more of defense lawyers but if it's just paperwork, he or his partner can likely handle it easy for you."

Loki thought about that for a moment pro-Bono was a good sign. "Are they cheap?"

"I've never really asked," Holly admitted. "The firm's name is Nelson and Murdock. I'd give you an address, but I don't have one."

"Should be able to look it up on my phone. Thanks for the tip," Loki said. After one last check to be sure that he had everything, Loki left the motel to return to his usual corner. It had been several days since Angrboda had turned up at Loki's door looking for the kids and he was getting anxious about if she suddenly decided to try again. If she got hopped up on the right cocktail of chemicals, Angrboda could get pretty unpredictable.

Though Loki was still _mostly_ sure she wouldn't call the cops on him, Loki wanted to get the paperwork saying Sleipnir was his son finished up on the off chance she did. Natasha had been trying to weasel one of Shield's lawyers into doing it, but they were apparently all very busy, and she'd been having a hard time even getting a meeting with them. Loki didn't particularly want to venture into Hell's Kitchen. The neighborhood wasn't that far away, but it was even rougher than Loki's own. Plus, most of the murdered prostitutes had been working either in or on the fringes of Hell's Kitchen. Loki had already been contemplating moving his spot further away from the somewhat arbitrary border between his neighborhood -known oh so charmingly as Sex Street- and Hell's Kitchen. Just having two streets between the areas did not feel like enough when people were turning up dead.

Loki kept his eyes peeled as he walked back to his spot. A few gang bangers called out to him from an alley, but Loki wasn't about to get involved in that mess. Going to Hell's Kitchen in the daytime seemed safer, plus Loki would need to get his paperwork from the apartment.

The walk back to his spot took Loki another fifteen minutes, but he hadn't been about to lounge around with the two women for another however long they would take with each other before leaving. Loki had money to earn, after all.

Several hours and customers later, Loki was heading back home to collect the paperwork. Luckily, it was now the weekend so Peter and Sleipnir could watch the younger kids while he was out. Loki did pause long enough to take a shower so that he wouldn't smell of sex and make breakfast for the kids before giving Hela a kiss and heading right back out. A quick internet search brought up where this law office apparently was, and it would be, unfortunately, a bit of a hike. Loki quickly double checked that he had the knife he'd been carrying around for the past several nights tucked into his boot.

The streets of Hell's Kitchen was just as intimidating as Loki had assumed they would be. Plenty of people were staring at him as he followed the directions on his phone. Loki got quite a few leers, but since he wasn't working currently, Loki ignored them and kept walking.

Luckily, Loki was able to fudge his confidence, so he was pretty sure that nobody noticed how worried he was at being in unfamiliar territory. More people were staring at him than he'd like and not all were looking at him with lust. Several were definitely looking to start other sorts of trouble that Loki wanted even less to do with than the ones that were clearly undressing him mentally.

The directions to the law office were very straightforward, and the place seemed to be on a fairly well-travelled street, which was quite comforting. The hardest part was that when he got to the place was the fact that there wasn't really a sign telling Loki which apartment was the office he was looking for. Loki ended up wandering the building for a good ten minutes before he spotted the random piece of paper with the Law 'firm's name written on it. Loki did not really find that comforting, but he probably didn't have the money for someone with a real sign, either.

Loki knocked on the wood of the door. Someone on the other side called for him to come in, so Loki did. He was a little surprised to see a proper desk in the room with a pretty blonde girl sitting there with several stacks of paper in front of her. "Hello there, welcome to Nelson and Murdock. Can I help you?" she asked.

Loki glanced around at the otherwise entirely empty room before entering fully. "Is there a lawyer here?" he asked. He didn't see anyone else in the place, but her and she didn't strike Loki as a lawyer per se.

The secretary smiled, "There is, but I don't think you had an appointment, did you? What is this about?"

"I just have some legal paperwork that needs to be filed," Loki said.

"What sort of paperwork?" A new voice said. Loki turned to see a man had come up from a back room. He was wearing a slightly shabby suit, had on large dark glasses, had just a bit of stubble on his handsome face, and was holding a white cane.

"Custody papers," Loki answered. "I know that you aren't really family lawyers, but I was also told you might be a bit more reasonable on your fees."

The blind man tilted his head slightly but then smiled. "I'm sure we can work something else. Wife took all your money in the divorce, I take it?"

"No," Loki said. "Just poor."

There was another pause, but then the man smiled. "Well, come into my office, and we can talk about it. My name is Matt Murdock, I'm one of the partners here."

"Loki Laufeyson. And the name on the door sort of told me the second part," Loki said as he followed the lawyer into the small office. There was equally little in this room as there had been in the first with just a single filing cabinet and a desk that if Loki wasn't entirely mistaken was being held stable by a law book under one leg.

"So, why exactly do you need custody paperwork filed if there was no divorce?" Matt asked as he sat down behind his desk.

"He's my neighbor's son. I convinced the drunkard that I was a better guardian than he could ever be. I don't think he really cared much, to be honest," Loki said as he put the file he'd brought down on the desk. Loki assumed that Murdock would be able to get his partner or the lady outside to help him look over the actual papers, but Loki was sure he'd gotten all the signatures and initials from Svadilfari that he'd needed.

Matt's eyebrow went up behind his glasses. "Either you're right about that, or you're very persuasive. What about the mother?"

"Dead," Loki supplied. "At least, that's what Svadilfari continually tells his son. I have no reason to think he was lying about it, though."

"We'll have to make sure of it," Matt said. "If she isn't or hasn't signed away her rights then you wouldn't be able to take custody of the minor."

"I'm aware," Loki said. But he also didn't think that would be an issue. Like he'd told Murdock, he had no reason to believe that Svadilfari had been lying about that particular detail given how hard he hit the bottle after every time Sleipnir had asked about his mother. Perhaps that was why Svadilfari was such a rubbish person, but Loki was hard pressed to feel any sympathy for the man that flew into drunken rages and hurt his son frequently. "Do you think it'll be hard to find out?"

Matt shrugged. "I don't think so. Just checking the birth and death records, which is only a quick trip downtown. Though -I hope you don't take offense to this, but I feel I must ask- why are you taking in someone else's child?"

Loki finally sat down in the chair across from Murdock and pondered his answer. Loki's motivations were both very simple and very complex at the same time, and Loki really didn't want to get into them with someone he just met. Then again, lying to a lawyer he wanted to get help from seemed a bad idea as well. Loki cleared his throat, "Well, I guess I just didn't want to see a kid getting beaten by their father anymore."

"You could have called social services," Matt pointed out.

"I don't trust them. The system is overcrowded and overwrought. I can do a better job even with having less money than is always comfortable," Loki said. "I know I might not be the 'ideal,' but I actually care."

There was a long moment of silence before Matt nodded. "I believe you. Even if, I feel as though there's more there than you're telling me."

"Personal reasons," Loki half-agreed with a shrug that Matt couldn't see.

"Well, making sure everything is in order and filing some forms shouldn't be too hard," Matt said after another momentary pause. "It might even be a nice change of pace from our usual court cases."

"How much will it cost me?" Loki asked.

Loki was expecting something around a thousand dollars or more, but Matt seemed to really think about his answer. "Let's call it a hundred fifty," he finally said. "That should just about cover it." 

"... per hour you mean?" Loki asked. He was pretty sure that a lot of lawyers billed by the hour, much like he did.

Matt shook his head. "No. Hundred fifty straight up," he replied. "It's not like you're asking for anything strenuous." That might be so, but it would still take Matt time to do.

Loki waited for a moment to see if Murdock was serious. He definitely seemed to be even though Loki was absolutely sure he was being undercharged something crazy. Still, Loki wasn't in a position to argue, so he pulled out his wallet and pulled out several bills to put on top of the file. "... thank you."

"I like you, Loki. And I like what you're trying to do for this boy. Believe me, it's my pleasure to help out those that are doing good," Matt said with a smile. "If your number is in the file-"

"It is," Loki confirmed.

Matt nodded, "then I'll contact you in a few days to let you know how everything is going."

"Wonderful, thank you again," Loki said as he got to his feet. "Is there anything else you might need from me?"

"If there is, I'll let you know when I call you," Matt assured him.

Loki was relieved at how painless that meeting had gone and head for the door. Just as he was closing the door with the paper sign on it, he heard the secretary sighing heavily about 'how they had bills to pay too, Matt.' That made Loki feel mildly bad, but he had given Murdock plenty of time to change his mind.

Loki could have headed right back home but instead decided it was time for his once a month trip to the hospital. The kids didn't know when to expect him back, so there was no danger of alarming them by taking a detour. Plus he really did need to check on things.

The walk from Hell's Kitchen to the hospital took a solid hour, and Loki was regretting not taking the bus by the time he was even halfway there. Despite sore muscles, Loki kept on his hike and went straight in past the Hospital reception. Loki already knew where he was going.

The ICU was on the third floor, and the room Loki was looking for was way at the other end from the elevators nearest the front entrance that Loki had used, so it was yet more walking. The second bed in the hospital room was empty even though the last time Loki had been there it had been occupied. Loki picked up the chart at the end of the one bed and read over the newest notes as best he could despite the nurse and doctor chicken scratch and medical jargon. There didn't seem to have been any change, and Loki sighed before putting the chart back. 

Loki moved up to the head of the bed and eyed the woman looking as if she were peacefully sleeping. An illusion that was ruined by the different machines monitoring her vitals. May Parker had long healed from all the injuries she got in the car accident, but now she wouldn't wake up. Peter, Loki knew, visited his Aunt at least once a week even though he never told Loki about it. That hadn't been hard to parse out once Loki found out that Peter's last living relative -the woman who'd raised him since Peter was barely old enough to remember his parents- was in a coma. It was a testament to how broken the system was that no police officer ever bothered to look here for Peter after he'd run away from his foster home -assuming he'd been reported missing.

Loki hadn't told Peter that he made a point to check in on May as well. Loki felt oddly beholden to the woman, although he'd never even spoken to her. All Loki knew for sure was how much Peter loved her and how terribly he felt about walking away with only a few scratches from the car crash that killed his Uncle and injured his Aunt so badly. 

"I think I managed to get him back in school," Loki told her. Loki couldn't recall when he'd first started talking to the comatose woman, but now it was a habit he couldn't quell. "For the moment anyway. He really is such a bright boy." He had absolutely no idea if May could hear him or not, but Loki figured that if she could, she would want to know about her nephew's well-being. If not, well, it gave Loki something to do while visiting. Loki wasn't sure what Peter did as he always made a point to let the boy have his privacy during his regular visits and had only even followed him a few times when Loki was particularly worried about Peter for whatever reason.

Loki spoke to May for several minutes about how Peter was doing before there was a knock on the doorframe of the room. Loki looked over to see Mrs. Parker's Doctor standing there. "The nurses said you were here," the man said with a genial smile.

"Dr. Alal," Loki greeted. "It doesn't seem as if there's been any improvement."

"I'm afraid not," Alal agreed. "And, though I hate to point it out... the fund is just about dry. No matter what young Peter's feelings are, we will have to pull life support."

Loki scowled at nothing. This was an ongoing problem that there really wasn't any good answer for. Life support was expensive, and May had been on it for several months. The insurance simply wouldn't pay for more and the house she'd been living in with her husband and nephew was gone now as well. Dr. Alal put a hand to Loki's shoulder. "Of course, I would hate to have to make someone say goodbye before they were ready. I could always cover some of those costs for you," he said.

Loki knew a proposition when he heard one. He'd come knowing he'd get one. Loki turned to Alal and smiled his best flirty work grin. It wasn't as if this would be the first time, he reminded himself. "How about we discuss it in your office?" Loki purred.

Alal smiled and tilted his head. "Yes, let's."


	16. Chapter 16

When Loki finally got home, he was exhausted and in no mood to deal with anything more strenuous than lying on his bed. Loki wasn't sure if Peter picked up on his need for rest or if they'd already been discussing going out while Loki was gone, but he'd only managed to kick his boots off before Peter was stepping forward. "Can we go to the court?" he asked.

Loki glanced between the kids for a moment as he thought. The 'court' was a basketball court two buildings down. Sunset Towers was a U-shaped apartment complex about four stories tall, with a basketball court and public gardens -which was mostly scraggly weeds growing in beds of nutrient-deprived grey dirt- that was blocked off from the street with an eight-foot-tall chain link fence. Though there wasn't a gate to lock, the gap in the fence where the gate should have stood was the only way in or out of the courtyard area. That limited access made it not really safe, but better by far than running around in alleys. Loki still would prefer to go with them, but with all five of the kids together chances were they'd be safe. Plus, Loki _had_ kept them cooped up for a while and could use the quiet to get in some rest. "... alright," Loki agreed only somewhat reluctantly. "Be back before sunset."

"We will," Peter agreed. Hela came over to give Loki a hug and a kiss, which Loki returned. Loki made sure all of them were dressed appropriately for the weather, which was getting downright cold as winter began to really set in despite how sunny it was currently. Only once they all had on coats and repeated the rules to Loki's satisfaction -don't talk to anyone you don't know, don't leave the basketball court, and several others- did he let the kids leave the apartment.

Alone in his place for the first time in weeks, Loki flicked the lock of the door and went to take a long hot shower. Loki let himself take his time far beyond what he usually did but didn't bother getting dressed at all before falling into his bed to try and catch some much-needed sleep.

Then, annoyingly, there was a very insistent knocking on the door of Loki's apartment. At first, Loki decided to ignore it since he was tired and felt as if he'd only just gotten to sleep ten minutes ago, at most. The knocking came back after a few moment's pause, and Loki stubbornly pushed his head under his pillow. It couldn't be the kids as Peter had Loki's only spare key on him so knocking wouldn't have been necessary. The pounding stopped at the front door, and Loki let himself start to fall asleep again. Loki easily managed to drift off as he hadn't even made himself wake up entirely in the first place.

Something warm and curvy was pressed against his bare back, and Loki nearly jumped out of his skin. He spotted red hair and caught the whiff of a faint cinnamon smell that was incredibly familiar. Loki relaxed again and closed his eyes again. "Did you pick my lock?"

"Mmhmm," Natasha agreed. "You look spent. Rough night?"

"Long," Loki murmured in response. "Feel like my hips were put in vise grips and then I sat on a jackhammer."

Natasha hummed again and laid down more fully to hook her arm around Loki's bare torso. Loki didn't bother to protest as he knew Natasha wasn't actually interested in him that way. She was doing it more to get a reaction out of him so she could figure out what he was thinking, so Loki didn't give her the pleasure of anything to psychoanalyze like the amateur therapist she was. "You smell like Christmas," Loki murmured as the cinnamon scent drifted over him again.

"I can actually afford to buy those oils I like for my hair," Natasha replied. "Too much?"

Loki thought about it for a moment and then jerked one shoulder in a sort of awkward shrug. "Probably not if you weren't clinging to me all... koala like," Loki said.

"... I'll take being compared to a koala. They'll rip you apart," Natasha said. "Vicious little, disease-filled, Trojan not-bears."

Loki cracked open one eye to look at Natasha. "How do you know so much about koalas?"

"I read things, you know. Not all of us have a horde of kids to take up all of our time," she said. Loki grunted and closed his eye again. "Speaking of... where are the little miscreants?"

"Probably setting off car bombs, breaking windows, spray painting gang signs, and other vandalism. You know how I raised them," Loki drawled half into the pillow.

Natasha chuckled, "Yes, little hellions in the making. I'm sure you were just as bad at their age. Are you too tired to hear news?" she asked as she finally pushed herself up. Loki could sense her above him but didn't bother to reopen his eye.

"Is it good news?" Loki asked.

"... it's not really good or bad, I don't think," Natasha answered.

Loki sighed heavily. "Alright... what is it?"

"I was snooping around-"

"Shocking."

"Shut up. I was snooping around, and I found out that Shield _used_ to have guys working for them. But a few years ago another company from Europe came in and sniped about half their employees including all their male escorts. To make things worse... when their people left, they took the clients with them," Natasha explained. "Of course, Shield has been trying to take back their clients and ground, but it's been an uphill battle. They were blindsided, it looks like, and whatever they offered the escorts to switch companies must have been very good, because they won't come back."

Loki hummed. He supposed losing all or at least most gay clients in one fell swoop would make it hard to build that area back up, but it seemed to Loki that to have not been prepared for other companies making a move was foolish. "But, and this is a bit better news, I've been buddying up to Coulson, and I found a list he's made of potential clients for you. So, he is keeping his promise."

"That is good," Loki agreed although he was only partially invested. The news was vaguely surprising to his half-asleep brain as Loki had pretty much written the idea off after a few days.

Natasha put her hands to Loki's shoulders and squeezed while digging the heel into his back. Loki grunted, which turned into a moan as Natasha rolled her hands towards each other. "Fuck, Nat..."

"You looked like you could use it," she said with a smirk.

Natasha pushed hard close to Loki's spine, and the tightness in the man's shoulders began to ease. Loki groaned and buried his face in his pillow as Natasha continued to slowly work her hands against his shoulders and upper back. "Shit... if I didn't find you so annoying, I'd love you," Loki told her.

"There's not going to be a happy ending here. Just so you know," Natasha said.

"Like I'd want that from you," Loki said before grunting as Natasha's hand found a particularly tense area of his back to press into.

"Bitch, I'm a treat," Natasha said although there wasn't a drop of venom in her voice.

"So was Cocaine, once upon a time," Loki quipped.

"It still is to some people."

"Lucky, we aren't those," Loki broke off with a grunt as the palm of Natasha's hand dug in a little harder, "people. Damn. I'm not a side of beef."

"You want me to not push as hard?" Natasha asked. She had paused her massage and seemed to be genuinely curious.

"Not a chance, just give it a minute before doing that again," Loki told her.

Natasha snorted, "Right, sorry. I forgot that you're a delicate flower." She started working his muscles again until they softened to mush.

"That's right, I am a lily," Loki said sarcastically.

"Lily white maybe. When were you last in the sun?"

"Just today. I walked all the way to Hell's Kitchen and back," Loki told her.

Natasha paused in her massage again and frowned even though Loki still had his face mostly buried in the pillow. "Ignoring the fact that walking for two streets on a sunny day is not very much to 'being in the sun,' why did you go to Hell's Kitchen? You know how bad a neighborhood that is!"

"I was seeing a lawyer," Loki said as he finally rolled to look up at Natasha properly. "To finish up that paperwork for Sleipnir."

"I was going to get you a Shield Lawyer," Natasha said. "Is he ripping you off?"

Loki shook his head. "Opposite. I think he's only charging me the filing fee," Loki murmured. "I didn't check to be sure, but that's what it felt like. Gift horses and mouths and all that."

"... why would he do that?" Natasha asked, suspicion coloring her voice a little darker than normal.

"He wasn't after my body if that's what you're thinking," Loki said.

"How do you know?" she asked.

Loki smirked. "Because the man was blind, Natasha," he said in amusement and perhaps a little bit of smugness. Matt Murdock hadn't set off any of Loki's internal alarm bells about dangerous people, and usually, Loki's intuition was pretty accurate about who was and wasn't going to be a threat to him.

"That doesn't mean he can't want your body, Loki," Natasha echoed in a mocking tone of the one Loki had just used. "You don't need sight to want to fuck someone."

"True," Loki conceded. "But I'm pretty sure he's on the up and up. A terrible businessman, maybe, but genuine."

Natasha didn't look convinced. "If you say so, but I still feel that he's going to ask you for something."

"I guess we'll find out when he calls me next week to find out how the paperwork filing went," Loki mused as he rolled back over and hugged his pillow to his chest. Loki sighed and nuzzled closer to it. "Was that all your news?"

"There were a few other minor things I wanted to tell you, but they can wait," Natasha said as she laid down over top of Loki -draping herself with deliberately casual movements. Loki hummed in understanding but didn't so much as open his eyes again. "You really are tired."

Loki nodded slightly. "Kids have been with me for weeks now... longest in a long time." Loki loved that they were there. He really did, but having the Kids living with him put a strain on his day to day life. Someone had to be there with Hela when the others were in school, and Loki couldn't look after her if he were asleep all day. He'd found some compromises, of course, but those little naps that he stole away between taking care of his princess weren't sufficient.

"Things'll get better. And you could always call me for help, stubborn ass," Natasha said. "You know I don't mind looking after your brood of kids."

"I know, but I feel guilty when I'm not the one doing it," Loki admitted. He realized that was a stupid thing to feel. If Loki couldn't physically do it, making sure that someone else did would be the only reasonable option. Realizing it didn't make Loki's reaction to having to do it any less, however.

Natasha sighed and shifted so that she was nearly spooned up to Loki's back. "Yes, well, the circles under your eyes are starting to make you look like a raccoon. I know you already put on concealer, but it's not working so well any longer. You can't do everything yourself."

"'M not wearing any makeup right now," Loki pointed out. His circles would naturally stand out more when he didn't take the time to remove them along with his other facial imperfections. Though Loki would like to not have to spend some of his meager earnings on makeup, he considered it an investment. Loki found that fewer customers came up to him when he had dark circles, the occasional shaving nick from when he was rushing too much, and little scars from living on the streets in his youth showing on his face. Plus, he had to admit -if only to himself- Loki might be a little self-conscious about his image.

"Maybe not, but I know non-concealable bags when I see them," Tasha said. "And yours, my dear, are at that point."

Loki grunted but didn't bother to respond more than that. Nothing Natasha said was new to him, but it also didn't change his situation. Once he was earning more for less risk and possibly less work, then Loki could relax a little bit. "Sleep for a bit, Loki," Natasha said. "I'll clean up the apartment some."

"Thanks," Loki murmured. He hadn't gotten around to tidying up anything beyond the areas of the apartment that had most desperately needed it, and even then, Loki had only done the bare minimum. Loki hadn't even put the mattress in the living room back under the couch like he normally did. Hadn't seen the point of doing it when the bed would just need to be pulled right back out later on for Sleipnir to sleep on. Natasha got up and made her way into the bathroom. Loki drifted back off to sleep even as he heard the redhead start to rummage around for his cleaning supplies.

_The sun was warm upon his face, drying the droplets of water that were still clinging to his skin. The frankly too cold stream was still babbling away mere feet from where he was lying on the grassy bank. He hadn't thought to bring a blanket or a towel with him, but then again this had been a whim after getting hot playing around in the woods behind the house. He'd spent hours upon hours climbing over logs and picking up rocks in search of anything that hadn't been found before. The woods went on for miles, and there was always something new that he could discover if he spent long enough looking._

_He felt someone standing above him and opened his eyes. The sun blinded him, and he squinted, just barely making out a figure cast nearly black from how the light fell on the wrong side. "Done already?"_

_"I am," he agreed._

_"Shall we return to our game then, Loki?"_

Loki wasn't sure how long he slept, but he must have been well and truly dead to the world because when he finally woke up, Hela had wormed her way into his arms. Loki would have preferred her not do that since he was currently still naked under the sheets, but he hadn't been aware of the kids getting home, so it was probably his own fault somehow. He wasn't quite sure what to make of the very little bit of dream he'd had -or at least the little bit of it he remembered. It had been a long time since Loki had dreamed of his childhood in any capacity. Loki tried hard to not think about the halcyon summers and Hallmark winters that he'd enjoyed for over a decade. Loki didn't want to remember how much had changed in his life since then. Not all of the changes were bad, per se -the children were something he'd never trade- but Loki's life was entire galaxies away from what he'd thought it would ever be. That wasn't a reality that Loki enjoyed reminding himself about.

Very carefully so that he didn't wake Hela, Loki got out of bed and pulled on a pair of somewhat tattered lounge pants and a hoodie. The sun was still bright enough outside that Loki figured it had to be several hours before he had to go out and work. Loki dropped a gentle kiss to Hela's forehead before making his way out to the main room of the apartment. The others were crowded around the coffee table and seemed to be keeping themselves busy. Peter had spread over the most space with dozens of papers and a few books all open -his make-up work, Loki assumed. Sleipnir was doodling something on what looked like an old paper bag. Jormungundr was peering over Fenris' shoulder while offering advice as the younger boy played whatever game was currently beeping away on his handheld device. Natasha was nowhere to be seen. Loki cleared his throat and gained the boys' attention. "Natasha is gone I take it?"

"Yeah," Peter agreed. "She said she had a date that she had to get to."

"Aunt Nat left an envelope," Jory said as he reached past Sleipnir to pick up the envelope that had pink and red hearts all over it. Loki's eyebrow went up at the very obviously recycled Valentine's envelope she had used. Where on earth had she even gotten that?

Loki took the envelope and untucked the flap and frowned when he saw what Natasha had actually left. It wasn't a note like he'd been expecting but several green bills with twenties in the corners. Loki wished Natasha hadn't done that. He never would have let her do it if he'd been awake to stop her. But, Natasha tended to do what she wanted, and Loki doubted that he'd be able to make the woman take the money back. Loki wanted to be incredibly agitated at her for the move of leaving behind a large sum of cash -there had to be at least ten twenty notes in the envelope- but he couldn't quite bring himself to be. Loki would get her back for this... somehow. He'd have to think of something.

Loki put the envelope down on the kitchen counter as he went to go get himself some coffee. "Are any of you hungry for..." Loki glanced at the clock on the stove and frowned at the time, "a late lunch?"

"We already ate," Fenris said without looking up from his game. "You slept a really long time."

"Not that we mind that!" Peter said quickly.

Loki couldn't quite help but be amused. "Of course," he said as he pulled a container of yogurt out of the fridge that would serve as the base of his breakfast. He mixed it with some canned fruit in a bowl along with a bit of cereal. Loki sat down at the counter with his coffee and bowl and kept an eye on what they were doing.

Before he could eat even half of the light meal, Hela came out of the bedroom rubbing her eyes and dragging Loki's robe behind her. "Loki?"

"I'm here, Princess," Loki said as he went to go pick her up. "Did you sleep well?"

"Uh huh," she agreed still sounding sleepy.

"Good. Come sit with me for a while. Are you hungry, Hela baby?" Loki asked. Hela shook her head and pulled Loki's robe up to cuddle close as she rested against his chest. "Alright, well, tell me if you change your mind." Hela just yawned in an answer.

Loki finished his breakfast with Hela still in his lap and the boys regularly devolving into petty arguments whilst doing their own things. Peter seemed to be trying the hardest to block the others out, but he didn't always manage it. Especially when Jormungundr and Fenris started arguing about some supposed short-cut in the game they were playing, and Peter had played quite a bit previously. Loki tried to mediate them as best he could while also eventually moving down to help Sleipnir and Hela color over scrap bits of paper.

The sunlight streaming through the windows was beginning to fade into twilight and Loki was just about to get up and go get changed into something better for walking the streets when there was someone suddenly pounding on the door. Loki frowned and put Hela down in Sleipnir's lap as he got up. The boys quieted immediately as Loki picked up his knife from the table closest to the front door. Loki would like to peer through the peephole, but his had been painted over when the super had decided to redo the halls, and Loki had never managed to get the stupid stuff off. Instead, Loki put the chain on and opened the door just as much as that would allow.

Loki was more than surprised to see the familiar tattered red coat and long brown hair of Wanda. What's more, was that she was genuinely panicked looking. Tears were in her eyes, and she might have even been shaking. "Wanda?"

"You have to help!"

Loki blinked several times in confusion but quickly shut the door to undo the chain and then opened it again. "Wanda, what's the matter?"

"It's Pietro! Please! You said you wanted to help us!" Wanda said, grabbing at his hands and already tugging. "Please! He's all I have!"

"Tell me what happened," Loki said as calmly as he was able. Wanda just tugged on his arm again repeating that he needed to help them. "Wanda!" Loki said forcefully. "I will help you, but you need to tell me how." Just then something on Wanda's hand that Loki hadn't noticed before caught his attention. Oddly it looked as if the red of Wanda's coat was running over her skin. Then what it actually was registered and Loki's eyes widened. He had no idea how much it was because of the coat, but Wanda had blood on her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> \-------------------  
> \------Cliff----------  
>  H  
>  a  
>  n  
>  g  
>  e  
>  r


	17. Chapter 17

Wanda was frantic as she hurried through the streets and alleyways. Loki had to really struggle to keep up in a few places but managed to not lose sight of the teenager. After perhaps ten minutes of rushing through the city, Wanda pulled back a broken chain link fence the surrounded an old warehouse that had been closed down for years. Loki couldn't help but be suspicious since he knew this place was actually one of the few that was patrolled regularly to get rid of all the vagrants that lived in it. Wanda didn't lead him to the front of the building however. 

Instead, Wanda circled around to the back of the huge warehouse to where several old shipping containers had been forgotten about. They looked like the back of several eighteen wheelers that had once probably delivered things back and forth. Wanda made a beeline for a set of three trailers that had been stacked haphazardly near the loading bays. There was a rusty old ladder on the ground beside the nearest container.

Wanda put the old ladder up against the side of one and then practically sprinted up to reach the one at the top. Loki followed behind and once he was up, Wanda pulled up the ladder to drop it flat on the top of the lowest level. Before Loki could ask if that was how they got up every day, Wanda was pulling open the doors of the trailer. "Pietro!"

Loki hurried in right behind Wanda. There was a faint light at the back end of the container from a battery powered lantern. Pietro was lying on a sleeping bag with sweat on his skin and his blonde hair tussled. He opened bleary eyes as Wanda fell to her knees at his side. Loki spotted the dark red stain covering the left side of Pietro's blue shirt.

"What happened?" Loki asked as he knelt down beside the injured teen.

"I was doing one of my street magic shows," Wanda said, still looking at Pietro anxiously. "There was a man watching. He kept asking me so many strange questions. I didn't like him. But he surprised us when we were walking home... he had a gun. Pietro fought him and it went off." Wanda wiped a tear off her face anxiously.

"Alright," Loki said as he pulled Pietro's shirt up to see the wound. He couldn't help but wince in sympathy when he saw the bloody torn hole in the boy's side. A quick glance told Loki that the bullet hadn't gone all the way through. "I have to get the bullet out, Pietro," Loki warned.

Pietro blinked blearily at him but then nodded. "Wanda, do you have any tweezers or anything like that and some sort of flame?" Loki asked as he pushed the sleeves of his shirt up and started taking off the rings and leather bracers he wore. Wanda nodded and started rummaging around in a few misshapen boxes. 

Loki shoved his jewelry into his pockets as he glanced around the shipping container the teens apparently lived in. There were several bottles of water stacked off to the side with some dehydrated meals that people might take hiking into the woods. Beside them was a container of wet wipes that Loki quickly snatched. It wasn't ideal but Loki would take what germ control he could get in this situation.

Wanda succeeded in finding a small bathroom kit and pulled out a pair of tweezers. "Got a sewing kit too?" Loki asked as he moved to the camping stove that was set up on its own box with one of those little green bottles of gas powering it. Loki hoped that the bottle was full because he had no idea how much flame he would end up needing. He took the metal tweezers from Wanda as he lit the stove.

"For clothes," Wanda said. "Not my brother!"

"Well, he needs stitches so we'll take what we get, unless you want to take him to the ER," Loki said as wiped off the tweezers with the wet wipes and then held them over the small flame. Wanda pursed her lips together but then quickly started looking through their things again. Loki wasn't sure why the twins were so against going to the hospital, but he wouldn't have gone to one either so he had no room to complain. He would just do what he could to help the Twins out. 

Loki made sure to get as much of the tweezers hot as he could stand before pulling the tiny tool back. That was probably as disinfected as they were going to get in this situation. "I need some boiling water, Wanda," Loki said. "I don't know if you have something that'll let you do that in here or not."

"We have a coffee pot, but it's not very big," Wanda said while still rummaging around in the boxes, presumably for the sewing kit.

"I'll take what I can get," Loki said as he leaned down beside Pietro and carefully prodded the edges of the wound again. Pietro hissed in pain but otherwise didn't protest. "If you feel like passing out, please do," Loki added. This wasn't going to be a pleasant process and he really had nothing to help the teen with the pain of it.

Pietro nodded and then screwed his eyes shut. Loki reminded himself that this wasn't the first time he'd had to deal with blood and open wounds even as he pulled the camping lantern closer to better see what he was doing. Wanda glanced over at him in worry as Loki tried to gently pry open the wound to chase the bullet. This was going to be the worst.

Pietro was clearly trying his best to stay quiet but a few whimpers and moans of pain escaped as Loki searched for the bullet. Wanda was still shuffling about but Loki paid her almost no attention whatsoever. It took Loki longer than he wanted to even find the end of the bullet and by the time he had Pietro was drenched in sweat and trembling. The damn bit of metal was hard to grasp and Loki mentally raged at it while trying to find a good enough grip with the tweezers to work the bullet loose. "The water is heating," Wanda said.

"Good. Let me know when it's boiling," Loki murmured as he squinted to try and see in the less than optimal light. Loki was distantly aware of Pietro murmuring something in a different language and Wanda occasionally saying something back in a soothing tone but he wasn't listening close enough to even identify what language they were using. Wanda knelt down beside where Loki was working and clutched Pietro's hand tightly in hers.

Loki had to twist and tug on the end of the slug, making Pietro whine in pain. Loki held the teen down with one hand and pulled harder. The end of the tweezers slipped off and Loki cursed aloud. Blood was still oozing from the wound and making everything slippery but Loki did his best to ignore that and keep working. Pulling the bullet out with his fingers would probably be easier, but he'd then have to make the hole wider to give himself the space needed, and Loki didn't want to do that. Loki pulled his hand away and shook it out so that the cramps that were beginning to form would hopefully ease. Once he eased the pains though, Loki went right back to trying to get the metal out of the boy's side.

Finally, after what felt like hours and far too much pain for Pietro, the bullet started to move. The blonde was half writhing where Loki wasn't pinning him down. Loki had to literally sit on Pietro's leg and hold his upper half down with his free hand to keep the teen from moving too much as he worked. Loki shifted his grip on the tweezers and slowly but constantly pulled at the end of the bullet.

"Pietro..." Wanda was still in tears as she tried and mostly failed to calm her twin. "Pietro, it's alright. I'm here..."

Pietro moaned out something in that other language as Loki grit his teeth and pulled harder. Blood was everywhere, making things slippery and yet sticky at the same time. There was even so much of it that Loki lost sight of what he was doing. The light from the lantern just wasn't enough. "Wanda. Do you have a flashlight?"

Wanda looked up, seemingly bewildered. "W-what?"

"A flashlight," Loki repeated as he tried to clear away some of the blood with Pietro's shirt.

There was another moment of silence and then Wanda wiped her face and then reached into smaller box. She dug around for a moment and pulled out some keys that had a small flashlight attached. With a harsh yank, she broke off the flashlight and handed it over. Loki's hands were bloody but he barely noticed as he hit the button at the bottom and turned the beam of light more directly onto the wound. The direct light definitely helped but as Loki tried to readjust his grip on the bullet, Pietro squirmed again.

Loki quickly wiped the blood off the flashlight with his shirt and then put it between his teeth to hold in place instead. With his freshly freed hand he pushed Pietro back against the bloody sleeping bag. "How much longer?" Wanda demanded as she pushed Pietro's sweat dampened hair back from his pale face.

Loki didn't bother stopping to answer and just continued to pull and twist and reposition so that he could do it again. Several more times the tweezers slipped off the bloody bullet but finally Loki managed to work the damned thing loose. Loki dropped the slug off to the side and tried to clean out the wound as best he could using the hot water from the kettle. That made Pietro scream and nearly break loose from under Loki but it had to be done. 

Pouring the hot water into the open wound did thankfully send the blonde from his delirious state to complete unconsciousness, so there was at least that to be thankful for. Loki wiped the bloody water away and made sure none of Pietro's torn shirt had ended up in the gory tunnel of flesh. Once he was satisfied, Loki cleaned off his hands and picked up the sewing kit. 

The needle was sanitized with the fire but there really wasn't much to be done about the thread. Loki did what he could to make the stitches as close together as he could but he'd never actually stitched closed a wound before so he was guessing. He did know that the stitches couldn't be too tight although how one went about knowing if something was too tight, Loki had only the vaguest of ideas. Wanda was sniffling but with Pietro unconscious seemed to be calming down herself. "Is he going to be alright?" she asked as Loki as he worked.

"We'll have to watch him," Loki murmured around the flashlight he was still using. "Keep it clean and make sure he doesn't get an infection."

Wanda wiped her red eyes and cheeks. "... thank you. If we'd had to go to the hospital..." she broke off there and Loki wondered for a moment yet again what the twins were so worried about happening.

Loki kept looking down at the stitches that he was carefully using to close the hole in Pietro's side. "The two of you shouldn't be here," Loki said after a minute. "It'll be hard to keep his wound clean when you don't even have a sink."

"We can manage," Wanda said with a sniff.

Loki glanced up at her. "And if the man who tried to take you comes back?" he asked. "This gunshot could have been a lot worse if it was a bit higher." Loki had to try hard to speak clearly enough around the end of the flashlight but he was pretty sure he was understandable still.

Wanda stiffened. "We're not going to owe you any more than we already do," she said.

"You don't owe me now and you won't later," Loki said as he tugged his needle through again.

"Nobody does shit for free," Wanda snapped.

Loki sighed and pulled the flashlight out from between his teeth. "You're right. I'm not doing it for free... but it's not something you'll have to pay back later. I'm doing this for all of us."

Wanda narrowed her eyes. "All of us how?"

"I'm proving my life is worth something by maybe helping some other people," Loki said vaguely. "I have my own debts to pay and letting a kid bleed out in a shipping container wouldn't help with those."

"Debts?" Wanda echoed. "What sort of debts?"

Loki shook his head and put the light in his mouth again. "Never you mind about those," he said as he went back to stitching Pietro closed. "Just know that I won't ask you for anything in return."

Wanda still looked suspicious but didn't argue about it so Loki turned his focus to what he was doing. He really wished he had some actual medical thread but hopefully Loki had managed to keep everything clean to the point that it would serve well enough. Though it took a lot more time than Loki had anticipated, he would not be rushed through the process of stitching the wound closed. Wanda slowly relaxed a little bit more as Loki worked. 

Finally, Loki tied off the thread and snipped it off. He took the flashlight out of his mouth and clicked it off. "You have anything clean to wrap it in?" he asked as he rolled his shoulders. Everything felt stiff and achy to him from being hunched over for so long working in dim light on something small. His fingers too were aching but Loki was far more concerned with the blood staining them. Loki started washing his hands and the area around Pietro's wound as Wanda looked for something to act as bandages.

Wanda ended up tearing a somewhat clean bit of pillowcase into long strips. After Loki finished cleaning himself and Pietro's abdomen, he got Wanda to help him wrap the wound up. Pietro groaned at being jostled but didn't wake. Then they dressed him in a fresh shirt although they didn't bother with his blood-stained pants. "Will you at least stay with me until he's not in danger of getting an infection?" Loki asked as he watched Wanda dump the bloody water Loki had used out of a small hole in the corner of the container.

Wanda bit her lip and seemed to think hard about it for several minutes. "I don't trust you," she said. 

Loki shrugged. "I wouldn't either if I were you. But your brother needs a clean and safe place to recover and you can't be the distraction and the pickpocket at the same time, Wanda."

"I know that!" she snapped. Loki's eyebrow went up but he wasn't offended by her temper. Wanda was clearly at her limit for the day and when people reached their limit they got short. Loki was more than aware of that even if his first instinct was to snap back.

Wanda took several slow breaths as Loki rubbed his hands on his pants. He felt as if he still had Pietro's blood all over his skin even though Loki knew he'd washed it all off. "... fine," Wanda grumbled. "But just until Pietro is better."

Loki nodded. "Fair enough. Get whatever you need or don't want to risk leaving here for a few days." Wanda frowned but didn't argue and started to pack up a slightly ratty cloth bookbag with some clothes and other things that the twins might need.

After about ten minutes of rummaging around, Wanda shouldered the bag and nodded. "Alright. That's everything," she said.

Loki carefully reached over and gently pulled Pietro up. The boy groaned again and blinked muzzily a few times. "Wha?"

"We're taking you somewhere safer," Loki told him before hooking Pietro's arm over his shoulder. Pietro groaned and Wanda came to help Loki lift Pietro up. "Easy then," Loki said as they lifted the injured boy up.

Getting Pietro down to the ground level was particularly difficult and Loki ended up practically carrying the teen down by himself while Wanda steadied the ladder. Once they managed to get down, Wanda tucked the ladder away in a hiding spot on the loading dock of the warehouse and then the three of them started for Loki's apartment. 

The night had fallen while Loki was patching up Pietro, which made the trip back to the apartment far more nerve-wracking than it had to be. Especially when they took short cuts through trash littered alleys where far too many bad things were likely to happen. But Loki didn't want to pop open any of Pietro's stitches so he wanted to take as little time with the teen upright as possible. Pietro was at least trying to help them when he was awake, but he was regularly passing out again from the pain of his injuries.

Finally they got back to territory that Loki was more familiar with and he was fairly sure they were safe, not that he allowed that to slow them down any in their trip. Loki wasn't entirely sure _where_ he was going to put the twins up in. He'd have to steal a mattress or something from Angrboda while she was out on her bender. Loki would make it work, however he could. "... thank you for this," Wanda murmured as they trudged awkwardly through the streets.

"You're welcome, Wanda," Loki said and a little glimmer of good feeling settled in Loki's chest. There was a chance, if only a small one, that maybe he wasn't as horrible a person as he thought.


	18. Chapter 18

Fitting eight people into a small one bedroom apartment was an exerciser in musical sleeping spots. Since Loki wasn't around during the night, Wanda slept in the recliner while Pietro took the bed -his wound gave him first priority there- and the three children of Angrboda took over the mattress on the floor while Sleipnir shared the couch -quite awkwardly- with Peter. When Loki returned in the morning, he took over the couch unless Wanda had not slept well on the recliner and needed to stretch out. It was... not really ideal but the bright side was that nobody really needed that broken heat anymore what with most people in the apartment sharing body heat.

The first week Wanda and Pietro were in the apartment was definitely the most difficult. Despite Loki's best efforts the fever that Pietro developed told him that the teen did actually develop an infection. Wanda spent most of her time taking care of her twin and Loki made sure to keep up whatever over the counter drugs he could think of that might possibly help. Eventually the fever broke and Pietro seemed to be on the mend. Loki was glad for that because he'd been about two inches from taking the boy to the emergency room no matter how scared of that prospect Wanda was.

Loki still insisted that Pietro rest since the very last thing the teenager needed was to reinjure his side. Loki wasn't sure how much longer he could keep the twins in the apartment but he would take what he could get. And then, rather surprisingly, he walked in one morning near the end of the second week to find Wanda was making breakfast even though Loki normally did that. "I was hungry early is all," she had said in an attempt to play it off. Loki wasn't about to protest not having to make breakfast and just went to take his shower.

When he came back out, Loki was surprised but touched to see Hela had gotten up early. The little girl was sitting at the breakfast bar with a cut up apple in front of her and was singing a little song that Loki had never heard before. It took Loki a minute to figure out what it was she was even signing but eventually he placed it as a song to learn in that language the twins spoke that Loki still couldn't place. Something European, definitely. "What language is that, by the way?" Loki finally asked.

Wanda had been surprised and sheepish at the question. "Romani," she murmured. "She wanted to learn it," she added quickly, as if Loki would somehow be offended that she was teaching Hela basic words in another language or something. He was pretty sure the song had been about counting since Hela had been holding up her fingers during it. Romani was a little surprising, but Loki supposed that would make sense. Romani wasn't a language many outside of the community knew.

"That's fine, Wanda. I was just curious," Loki said as he walked into the kitchen to start the coffee. Wanda narrowed her eyes at him in suspicion and Loki shrugged. "I know quite a few languages myself but hadn't ever really heard that one before. But you're more than welcome to teach it to Hela if you're comfortable doing that. She likes learning new things, don't you, Princess?" Hela beamed at that and agreed.

A few days after, in which Wanda kept making breakfast before Loki could get home and Pietro was starting to walk around a little and only wincing on occasion, Loki began to notice a few odd items appearing in his apartment. At first he brushed it off thinking perhaps Wanda had brought more than he thought she had in the book bag of hers. But then he spotted the little camping stove in a box shoved in the corner that Loki knew for a fact that Wanda had left in the trailer. The whole box, in fact, hadn't been there at first. Loki didn't mention it, however, and the twins didn't seem inclined to bring up leaving the apartment anymore. Two and a half weeks after Pietro had been shot, the Twins were back on the street working the crowds and Loki would find money tucked in his wallet that most assuredly hadn't been there when he went to sleep.

Loki wanted to tell Wanda and Pietro that they didn't have to give him any money, but was afraid bringing the topic up would rock the delicate balance they seemed to have formed while Pietro was recovering. Plus, two more bodies connected to the 'Sex Street Shooter,' as the media was now calling the serial killer, had turned up and Loki was getting more and more worried each time he went out to his corner. Any excuse to not go out as often, or to come back earlier, was a welcomed one. The extra money and having the Twins at the apartment during the night eased the strain Loki had been feeling. Four teenagers together were far more likely to handle any emergencies that occurred while Loki was out and allowed Loki to keep his attention on the streets like it should be while he was walking them.

Keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any news about the serial killer stalking the streets also meant that Loki was kept apprised of the the manhunt that the army was still conducting looking for Tony Stark. Quite a few media outlets were now saying that they were just looking for a body while some others spun truly horrible stories connecting what had happened to accounts given by Prisoners of War. They argued that Tony Stark was much too valuable for any army of terrorists to just up and kill. The idea was very distressing to Loki and he tried very hard to not read or look too closely at the stories that spun Tony's disappearance in such a way. Missing was a term that brought a lot less horrible imagery with it than Prisoner of War did and Loki's imagination had always been far too cruel to let it linger on the possibilities. He even had a few nightmares about Stark in horrible torture contraptions and being hurt in ways that Loki knew from experience were utterly mind breaking.

Loki pushed thoughts about the serial killer and missing billionaires to the back of his mind and focused instead on pouring some creamer into the coffee in front of him. Natasha had called him for a coffee date and, while that wasn't normal, Loki also hadn't had a chance to just talk with the redhead for a while. "You look good, Tasha," he said as he put the little ceramic creamer pot to the side. He hadn't been to such an upscale place in a long time but Natasha had insisted and said she was paying.

"I always look good," Natasha said with a smile.

Loki returned her grin and took a long sip of his coffee. Though it was late afternoon, it was still earlier than Loki usually got up. "Not that I'm not over the metaphorical moon to see you, Natasha... but this was a rather sudden coffee date. What's going on?" he asked.

"Coulson thinks he's found a first client for you," Natasha said as she ripped a piece of lightly honey covered pastry apart.

Loki's eyebrow went up to his hairline. "Oh?"

Natasha nodded. "Lonely guy... doesn't actually get out much since his wife died in a lab accident but he's nice," she said.

"Speaking from experience?" Loki guessed.

"Well, he might have taken a little convincing to try the darker side," she admitted. "But he said if I joined in he'd try it out. Considering how good you are at corrupting people I didn't think you needed more than just a single shot."

"I don't 'corrupt' people," Loki said with an eye roll. In his experience if you liked something you liked it and just because you liked something you'd never been exposed to before didn't mean you were then 'corrupted' after you had. "But a three-way with you and a rich guy, hmm?"

"Well, not that rich," Natasha admitted. "He owns a couple patents that have earned him some cash, but, if it is a lot, he's not prolific in spending it. Lives pretty modestly and spends most of his time working from what I can tell."

"But he's a frequent enough customer that you've gotten to know him?"

Natasha nodded. "The others that Coulson have contacted have all closeted themselves so hard I think they might have fooled even themselves into thinking they don't like cock anymore," she said with an eye roll of her own. "I think that media story a few months ago about that business guy, whatever his name was, that got caught in bed with another man by his wife and then lost half his company to her, scared the bejeezus out of them. I'm sure you could remind them that they do, in fact, love a good penis, but I was a little more concerned with getting you in the door than anything else."

"I appreciate it," Loki said honestly. "Things are getting... rather tight at the apartment."

"Tight more than usual?" Tasha asked.

Loki nodded. "I finally convinced the twins to move in... although it took Pietro being shot."

"Shot?" Natasha echoed. "He was shot?"

Loki hummed in agreement. "Someone tried to snatch Wanda or mug her or something and in the struggle a gun went off," he explained as he idly stirred his coffee. "But I would very much love to afford a place with more than one bedroom."

"I'll bet," Natasha murmured. "Well, the date is for Friday. Meet me at Shield at nine and I'll get you something more... Escort-y to wear before we go and see the client."

"Escort-y?" Loki repeated with amusement. "You mean you don't think he'll like my leather pants?" he asked innocently.

"Oh, he probably would, but lets ease him into things shall we?" she answered with a smile.

Loki chuckled and took another sip of his coffee. He was glad that there was some sort of light on the horizon. Friday was only four days away and he could most likely keep out of trouble for that long. Loki was confident enough that if he could get in with one client then everything else would work out. Natasha was right that even if all she could get him was an occasional threesome date with some lonely guy that everything would go up from there. All it took was one rich man to set a trend -even if he wasn't a particularly rich rich man.

"Now, as wonderful as this news is, Tasha... it isn't anything that you couldn't have told me over the phone," Loki said. "So... why did you really want to see me? And out here at a coffee shop and not at my apartment?" Coffee with Natasha wasn't entirely unheard of but still rather unusual. Natasha and Loki had always been more inclined to stay at his place and talk rather than going out. They got far fewer dirty looks that way and could really relax without anyone getting offended by their very existence.

Natasha was quiet for a moment but then sighed heavily. "You know how sometimes I would not go out because my period hurt just so damn much?" she asked quietly.

Loki's eyebrow went up. "Yes." Natasha had complained about her painful cycle often enough that Loki was able to keep track of it if he'd ever cared to do so. More than once Natasha had just not shown up at the corner due to it. Often times she would muscle through the pain anyway because the money was more important but she was always particularly unpleasant on those days.

"Well, I thought to mention it to the doctors at Shield when we were talking about birth control and things..." Natasha tore at the pastry some more. "I have a biopsy scheduled for next week."

"Biopsy," Loki echoed. For some reason it was as if the word wasn't actually English because that just rattled in his brain and wouldn't make even a little bit of sense. Especially not when talking about Natasha. That whole concept was something for _other_ people. Not Loki's best friend.

Natasha nodded although she was staring down at the shreds of pastry she was making. "They couldn't quite tell what the masses were with the ultrasound and... well... it's sort of really important to know," she murmured.

_Masses_ and _Biopsy_ floated around in Loki's skull for a minute. Still they refused to make sense no matter how they rolled through his thoughts. "Tasha..."

"It could be just some cysts or something," Natasha said quickly, finally looking up. "I mean, that's not so bad. Lots of people get cysts."

"Right, of course," Loki said, forcing his brain to start working again. "I'm sure that's all it is, Tasha." Natasha was still tearing at the pastry so Loki reached out and took her hand in his to stop her nervous fiddling. She looked scared and Loki wasn't used to seeing such an expression on her face. Natasha was the very picture of boundless confidence. Loki wanted to wipe the look off her face because fear did not even remotely belong there. "Natasha. Everything will be fine."

"If I'd gone to a doctor about it sooner-"

"Hey now," Loki interrupted. "Don't start that. There's no way you could have seen a doctor any sooner than you have." Doctors tended to require money or at least insurance. "And it's probably nothing that can't be fixed up with no problem at all."

"But-"

"No, Tasha!" Loki said firmly. "Everything will work out. I promise you that."

Natasha nodded although she didn't look as convinced as Loki would want. "I still feel like I should have done something more."

"Something more like what?" Loki asked. "The free clinic would have just sent you to a doctor that would have required insurance." The clinic wasn't equipped to deal with anything that serious and the hospital was not an option either.

"I don't know," Tasha admitted. "Just... something more."

Loki squeezed Natasha's hand. "Listen to me. You couldn't have done anything more and it will all be fine," he insisted. "Now, we're going to blow your rich, sort of rich guy's mind Friday, you'll have your biopsy, then they'll tell you it's some cysts that will be simple to remove, you'll get through it, and everything will be fine and dandy and we'll both be living better than we were."

"You sound so confident," Natasha said with a wane smile.

"Of course, because I won't allow it to be anything but that," he said firmly. "If you go and get sick then who will I complain about customers to?"

"Angrboda?"

Loki scoffed. "I haven't seen her in weeks and she'd just use that as an excuse to try and get me drugged up anyway. Plus, she doesn't have nearly as many delightful insults as you can come up with," he said with a smile.

Natasha chuckled a bit. "You only keep me around for my wit."

"Not _only_ your wit, but it is a very large factor," Loki said as he picked up his coffee again.

Natasha rolled her eyes. "Sometimes I wonder if you even love me at all," she said with a sigh.

"Of course I love you, Tasha," Loki said. "I love all labor and job leads I don't have to pay for."

"Bitch," Natasha accused although she was smiling again. Loki counted that as a victory and took another long drink from his mug. Whatever was going on with Natasha, he would just have to hope that it went by without it being anything serious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those of you eager for Tony's return... I'm planning on two more chapters before he's rescued/escapes from the Ten Rings. Sorry to not be there yet, but I have some things I need to have happen in Loki's life before he meets back up with Tony.
> 
> Also, in the comics the twins really were adopted by a Romani couple. That's why they don't have the same last name as Magneto.


	19. Chapter 19

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo this chapter wasn't a chapter until it was, if that makes sense. That estimate until Tony returns has to be pushed back by one. Sorry but I didn't want to add a sex scene after what happens here.

Sometimes, Loki dreamed of having power. He would dream that he had as much money as he could spend and more, an army of lawyers to get him out of any trouble possible, free reign to do whatever he saw fit, comfortable living arrangements, and protection. And then he would wake up to the sight of paint chipping off walls and a freezing breeze playing across his bare shoulder, and he'd remember that he'd picked freedom over power. Loki had decided a long time ago which was the more important goal. And yet, after those dreams, there was a short span of time -no more than a few heart beats- where he felt bitter and angry at himself for that choice. Guilt would inevitably follow those moments of bitterness because despite his situation, he had made his choices for a reason. A very good reason.

It would be nice to not have to wake up to a hazardous apartment stuffed with too many people and go out to risk his health and life to make a few hundred bucks, but he couldn't go back either. Loki usually woke early after his dream -he'd almost call it a nightmare except it didn't quite feel like one despite waking up shaking and disoriented after- and would stay laying wherever he'd taken as a bed that night and allow himself to slowly let his heart-rate fall back to normal. Sometimes he would do that by reading news headlines on his phone.

The day he was to meet Natasha was one of those occasions and he decided to scroll through the world wide news outlets. It was there that one particular headline jumped out at him. **'Thor Odinson Disinherited?!'** Loki stared at the words for several long moments. He could read them and they made sense and yet... they were sitting on his mind awkwardly as if they weren't actually in English at all. Or any language that Loki could understand. Loki's thumb hovered over the screen before finally falling onto the link.

'Heir to multi-billion dollar trade company Aesir Trades Incorporated (AETI), Thor Odinson, has been disowned by his father and CEO, Odin Borson, following a heated argument last night, a source close to the family reports.' Loki snorted aloud at the lie. No 'source' close to Odin would dare report to a newspaper about anything in the family. Not if they wanted to stay close. Loki didn't know where they were getting their information but it certainly wasn't through someone willingly selling a story. 'Thor Odinson is known for his partying and playboy lifestyle and has often been in the lime light in recent years for his escapades. What the argument that prompted his ejection from the family estate in Norway is unknown, but our source has confirmed that the family's private security force has been told to not allow the young heir access to any of the family's properties.'

The article continued on for a bit about how this was or wasn't expected and how this would affect the future of the company, but none of that really registered in Loki's brain as he read it. Without even really realizing he was doing it, Loki brought up the keypad of his phone and started dialing. His brother had owned a cellphone since practically before they even went to school and Loki had ingrained that number into his memory as if it were emergency services. He was about to press 'send' when Loki's brain caught up to his fingers and he just managed to stop himself. Loki had no idea if Thor still had the same number, and -even if he did- calling Thor would lead to so many problems. The entire article could be pure bunk and misinformation. Loki had avoided contacting anyone no matter how horrible his situation for years and years -he didn't want to be found. Loki's thumb continued to hover before he finally made himself press the red phone symbol to cancel the dialing. Thor would be fine. He always was.

Loki stared at his phone as the screen went dark and then forced himself to get up and get dressed. Thor was still lingering in the back of Loki's mind but Loki couldn't afford to worry about his perfect brother right then. He had a date to nail and hopefully a future of his own to secure.

"You're up early," Wanda noticed when Loki came out of the bathroom dressed in some jeans and a slightly baggy cable knit sweater. Tasha had been quite clear that she'd provide what he was to wear for the date that night so Loki felt no need to squeeze into anything provocative. 

"I've got a special job tonight," Loki said as he grabbed his wallet and keys. "I'm not sure when I'll be back."

"A special job?" Peter asked with a frown.

Loki nodded. "Hopefully one that will lead to better things," Loki said as he gave Hela a kiss on the head. "You all take care of each other, alright?"

"Yes, Loki," Sleipnir agreed from where he was helping Fenrir with some math problems as Pietro watched over their shoulders.

"Be careful," Peter said.

"I will," Loki assured him and gave Jory a pat on the head where he was sitting at the dining table before walking out of the crowded apartment. Loki heard shouting coming from somewhere else in the building as he went down the stairs and shook his head. Hopefully whoever was arguing would shut up before too long.

It felt a little odd walking through the streets before dark had truly set but Loki didn't stop to really examine how different everything looked without neon lighting up the signs and doorways. SHIELD was a far walk and Loki didn't want to cut into his money by buying himself a cab and who knew how much extra time it would take for Loki to take a bus. 

The sun was half set by the time Loki arrived at SHIELD and called Natasha to say he'd arrived. She was down in the lobby before ten minutes had passed and dragged him back upstairs by the arm. "I found something perfect for you," she said. "It's sexy as hell."

"Is it now?" Loki asked in amusement. "Well, I trust your judgment when it comes to sexiness."

"As well you should," Tasha replied. "I have excellent taste." Loki hummed a little and let himself be led through the building. 

Natasha's room that SHIELD had provided ended up being way on the other end of the building from where Steve's room had been but set up almost identically. Natasha's things were scattered about and some of her things still hadn't even been unpacked from the two battered suitcases that she'd apparently used to move with. "So, the way this guy works is he likes to go out to a nice dinner and then go back to his place for anything fun," Natasha said as she opened a hall closet and pulled out a garment bag. "So I got this for you. It might be a little big but I'm pretty bang on the money with measurements usually so it'll probably do for a single night."

Loki took the bag and hung it on the back of a dining chair before unzipping it and seeing a nice crisp black suit. "Oh good. You didn't go grey or blue." Loki preferred black suits the few times he'd ever worn them in his adult life.

"No. You are a black all the way kinda guy," Tasha said. "And I got you this," she added as she picked up a small box from where it was sitting beside the couch.

Loki's eyebrow went up and he slid the black ribbon off the sides of the thin cardboard container. Sitting inside the box was a folded up emerald green bit of silk. In the direct center of the green was a little golden tree with chips of emerald as stylized leaves at the end of the branches and chips of a rainbow of other stones at the roots so the flecks of gems formed a small circle. "Tasha... how much was this?" he demanded as he picked up the fabric and realized it was a tie and pin.

Natasha waved the question away. "Don't you worry about that. Once you actually get in here with me you'll be earning enough that you can pay me back. Plus, you need to look the part," she said.

Loki frowned, "And are you going to let me pay you back?"

"I need to get dressed. Be back," Tasha said airily before heading into the bedroom.

"Tasha!"

"Go ahead and use the bathroom, Loki. Or change in the living room. I don't care," Natasha called back before closing the door.

Loki huffed in annoyance before deciding he'd get her back somehow and pulled the new suit out of the garment bag. Loki found a black belt to go with the black suit hanging inside the garment bag as well even though the pants were snug enough he doubted they would fall. The silk shirt that was with the suit was a little too tight in places but would probably be fine, especially with the jacket over it. Loki slicked his hair back and removed his long earring to tuck away into his wallet. The dangling charm didn't quite go with the elegant fitted suit look.

As Loki was adjusting the knot on his green tie in the mirror of the bathroom, Tasha finally came back out dressed in a slinky but tasteful green number of her own that had black velvet and rhinestone details sprinkled throughout. Loki's eyebrow went up. "A matching set are we?" he asked.

"Well, it does look good on both of us," she replied as she went past him to reach for a makeup kit sitting on the bathroom counter. "And he is paying for two tonight. You clean up nice."

"Always," Loki replied as he folded his shirt collar back down over the tie. "Did you get me shoes?"

"No, you'll have to go in my heels or barefoot," Tasha answered.

"I'll work it," Loki said without worry.

Natasha pouted at him through the mirror. "You're no fun to tease," she said before leaning forward to start applying her makeup around her eyes. She went for a dark chocolate color. "You want me to make you pretty too?"

"I'm already far too gorgeous," Loki snarked. "But concealer would be appreciated." Under the bright lights of the bathroom the little imperfections of his face from his life on the streets were more easily visible and he didn't like that in the least.

Natasha hummed and straightened before grabbing her concealer. "Here," she said turning him by the shoulder.

Loki sighed. "I can do it myself," he said even as Natasha grabbed a cotton ball.

"You're wearing black. Not a chance," Tasha said as she carefully started dabbing the flesh toned fluid very carefully around Loki's mouth. Loki couldn't quite help but tap his fingers across the counter top as Natasha expertly filled in the scars and covered them up so that they disappeared and then hid away the dark circles under his eyes. "You haven't been sleeping have you?"

"I have," Loki denied. "As much as I can, anyway."

Natasha hummed again and then patted the cotton against his face one last time. "There." She leaned back and eyed him carefully. "Hmm, I miss the earring."

"Not sure that'd work in a fancy setting, Tasha," Loki answered.

"Mm, true," she mused before snapping her fingers. "Got it. Wait here."

Loki shook his head a little and turned to the mirror to slide the tie pin into place. He could hear Natasha rummaging around in the other room and then she came back in. "Here. Try this," she said as she held out much smaller earring. All it was was a simple golden ball. "Perfect for the understated."

"Nothing about me is understated," Loki replied even as he tilted his head to slide the post through the hole in his ear. "Also, I feel as if you're treating me like a doll."

"Well, you are the perfect accessory," Natasha said.

"So nice to be appreciated," Loki drawled.

Loki waited as Tasha finished getting ready and Natasha handed over the shoes she got for Loki and then pulled a black wrap around her shoulders. Loki pulled on his jacket and then they headed down to the first floor of the tower. "There should be a car waiting for us to take us to dinner," Natasha said as they stepped out of the elevator. 

Night had fully set by that point and sure enough, a car was waiting out on the street for them. "Did he order this or did SHIELD?" Loki asked as he slid into the car with Natasha. 

"SHIELD arranges it," Tasha answered. "It's part of the fee he pays for meeting with us." Loki hummed thoughtfully and watched the city move past through the windows. He couldn't quite help but be a touch nervous about this date. It would determine a lot of his future after all.

Mostly to distract himself, Loki pulled out his phone to play with. Annoyingly enough the first thing he saw was the news article from that morning that he'd been looking at. He didn't want to think about his date but he didn't want to think about family either. Loki stared at the article for a moment before sighing. "Tasha."

"Hmm?"

"Your phone number is private right?"

"Yes... why?"

"I need to see it," Loki said holding his hand out.

Natasha frowned but pulled the phone out of her purse and handed it over. "You're calling someone?"

"Obviously." Natasha raised an eyebrow at that even as Loki turned the phone around and started dialing. This was a terrible idea but he just... he had to call. Loki hesitated after putting the number in and then sighed. "I'm going to regret this," he muttered before hitting send.

Natasha was watching him carefully as Loki turned to look out of the window. The phone was ringing, at least. After four, the phone finally picked up. "Thor Odinson," a deep voiced stranger answered. Loki had imagined his brother's voice countless times and yet he hadn't come anywhere near close to what it sounded like.

Loki very nearly hung up right there but didn't. He didn't honestly expect that number to work. "Hello?" the now unfamiliar voice of his brother asked, sounding annoyed now.

"... Thor."

There was an awkward silence. "Who is this?" Thor demanded.

Loki swallowed hard. He should hang up. Right then. Thor was fine and this was a stupid idea. "You have the same number." Why _that_ of all things was what he noticed and decided to say, Loki had no idea, but he couldn't change it to something smarter now.

"... Loki?" Thor's voice was barely above a whisper and full of disbelief. "Is that you?"

He really, really shouldn't have called and yet... he still wasn't hanging up. "I read about what happened," Loki murmured.

"Loki, where are you?" Thor asked, his voice increasing in volume just a bit. "Where have you been? We thought-"

"I didn't call to talk about me," Loki interrupted.

"Loki..."

Loki swallowed again and licked his lips. "What did you fight with him about?" Loki asked.

"Nothing important. Loki, we thought you dead," Thor's voice cracked a little and Loki cringed at the unfamiliar noise. "What happened?"

"I'm not talking about that," Loki said firmly. "For some bizarre reason I was worried for you. Stupid of me. Don't tell him I called," he said before hanging up the phone and dropping it against his thigh. That had been the stupidest thing he'd done in a long time. And no doubt Thor would go right to Odin to tell him Loki had called. It would sweep whatever argument they'd had under the rug and everything would be perfect for them again, but they'd start looking for him. Loki could only be glad he was in another country.

"... who was that?" Natasha asked after a minute.

Loki shook his head and handed the phone back. "Nobody. Don't worry about it, Tasha."

"It sounded like someone more than a nobody."

"Drop it," Loki ordered as the car pulled over to the side of the street. "Besides, we seem to be here." Natasha frowned but allowed the subject to drop. Loki didn't doubt that his lapse in judgment would be coming back to bite him, though.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooo, I know a lot of you were looking forward to Bruce action but I never said it was Bruce they were meeting. Bruce is currently being a good friend and trying to find Tony, he doesn't have time to hire a pair of escorts. That being said.... Bruce would indeed be the hotter pairing here. SUPER RARE PAIR ALERT. If you want to imagine this client as someone else, by all means do. I won't be writing this particular pairing again but plot wise it just fit better.... dang plot getting in the way...

The car dropped them off in front of a high-class French Restaurant called _La Sirene Rouge_ that had a pair of fountains on either side of their glass entryway. Loki had a feeling that Natasha had been the one to select the restaurant for their date -it seemed to fit her well. Loki supposed the establishment was impressive especially after they got inside and was met with a marble floor, a chandelier that hung down from the plaster ceiling that looked to be an antique only refit to electricity, and dark leather couches built into the dark wooden walls. The lights were kept low and moody beyond the main hostess area, and Loki could already see why high-class escorts would favor a place like this. Despite the dining room beyond looking large, the dim lights and the way the tables were laid out led to a very private and intimate setting. Natasha dealt with the hostess, and within only a few moments, they were being escorted through the sprinkling of tables, half walls, plants, and fish tanks to wherever they would be dining.

A table in the back set against a red wall with a painting hanging on it of a beautiful naked woman lounging on sea rocks as she combed her long blonde hair. The nearest window was several feet down the wall, and it had dark maroon curtains bunched between it and where their table was. The creme colored table cloth and seat covers were warmed by a few candles burning low in the center of the fine china settings.

A man was already sitting in one place and got up when he saw them approaching. Loki let Natasha step forward and took the older man's hand while kissing his cheek. "Hank. It's good to see you," she greeted silkily.

"You too, Natasha," the man said with a smile.

The man, Hank, was older than Loki had expected -perhaps in his mid to late sixties. His hair nearly entirely white save a few disparate clumps of pale brown that were stubbornly resisting the passage of time. His eyes were a stormy hazel behind his glasses as he turned to face Loki. "Hank, this is my good friend, Loki. Loki, Hank Pym," Natasha introduced, still keeping an arm tucked in the crook of Hank's arm while she gestured to Loki.

Loki gave his most charming smile. "A pleasure," he said while extending his hand.

Hank was eyeing him uncertainly but took the offered hand. "We'll see," he said. "How about we all sit down?"

They did as he suggested and Loki realized the tables here were really not meant to accommodate more than two. Or at least, not the one that they were at. Loki's long legs couldn't help but press against Hank's and Natasha's under the table, and it would not be difficult for all of them to bump elbows while eating. Loki glanced at Natasha and her far too innocent expression. Minx, Loki thought fondly. "Thank you so much for giving me a chance to impress you, Mr. Pym... or can I call you something less formal?" Loki asked as he angled himself more towards the older man.

"You can call me Hank," Hank answered. "And honestly, I'm only doing this because Natasha asked me to. I've never really thought about anything like this before."

Loki glanced at Natasha before looking back at Hank who was taking a drink of ice water from a wine glass. "Understandable," Loki said. "And for that, I thank you even more. Not many would be comfortable with such a request."

Hank grunted a little. "Natasha promised it would be worth it in the end and I've learned to trust her about things like this."

Natasha smiled widely and laid a hand on Hank's arm. "Oh you will," she nearly purred. "How are things going with your daughter? Any better?" she asked.

Hank snorted. "I don't think you can call it better," he grumbled. "She's still dating that loser boyfriend of hers. Won't listen to a word I say. She's too headstrong... like her mother." He tried to sound very annoyed, but his tone softened a lot near the end.

"Children tend to do whatever they want," Loki commented. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't keep Peter away from Wade, for instance. His logic never seemed to register to a boy head-over-heels in love.

Hank nodded in agreement even as a waitress all in black came over to take their orders. It had been forever since Loki had had decent French food and was glad to see some of his favorite dishes on the menu when he finally took a moment to glance at it. Natasha went ahead and ordered the whole table a bottle of wine before they'd even put in their entrees.

As they waited for their meal, Hank launched into a long diatribe about his daughter -Hope- and her no good ex-con boyfriend. Although he did begrudgingly admit, the guy was a good father in his own way to his daughter since he absolutely refused to reschedule any days he saw her during his joint custody schedule. That moment of praise quickly went flying out of the window however once Hank mentioned how terrible an influence the man's friends were.

Natasha only let Hank ramble about it for a few more minutes after that before gently directing the conversation to if Hank liked his meal. Hank nodded a little even as he put another fork full of fish in his mouth. "This is definitely one of the better places we go to," Hank said.

Natasha chuckled. "You say that like we go out all the time. Why I haven't even seen you for nearly three weeks."

Loki hummed as he picked up his glass. "You managed to resist Natasha here for three weeks?" he drawled. "I am in awe of your self-restraint."

Hank gave a crooked little half grin. "It's not so much a matter of self-restraint as it is being too busy."

"A pity, being too busy leads to stress, and that's not good for anyone," Loki said lightly. "We'll have to take care of that, won't we, Tasha?"

"We will," Natasha agreed as she gave Hank's arm a little squeeze. "Have you thought about it at all, Hank?" she asked softly. The restaurant was quiet and private but being overheard wasn't impossible. It was better safe than sorry.

Hank hummed, and his eyes flicked over to Loki for a moment. Loki sipped at his wine even as the older man gave him a lingering once over. "I thought about it before you walked in," he admitted. "Still not entirely sure what to expect, though."

"I'll do as little or as much as you want," Loki said. "I've been reliably told by straight men that even if they don't find me attractive, I am _very_ good with my tongue and mouth. So between Tasha and me, I'm sure we can satisfy any whim you might come up with."

"I'm a bit old to be trying new things," Hank said, glancing at Loki again.

"Never too old," Natasha denied. "What is life without a little bit of variety anyway?"

"Very dull," Loki offered.

"So, Natasha says that you're trying to get into SHIELD... why?" Hank asked.

"Security," Loki answered easily. "I have those who are depending on me, and so I have to make sure I have something in my future. At the very least put some money away for later... maybe even working for SHIELD when my body isn't as desirable, but in a different capacity, of course."

Hank's eyebrow went up. "Dependents? You mean kids? Does that mean you aren't gay?"

Loki hummed and swirled the little bit of wine he had left. "Well, that really depends on who is asking and for what reason," he said. Natasha put a bit more wine in his glass with a wink, and he rolled his eyes. "If you're asking if I've never slept with a woman, that would be a lie... I have, and I suppose it went well enough. But if you're asking if, free of money constraints, I would pick sleeping with a woman over a handsome man, very doubtful."

"So, your kids..."

Loki smiled indulgently. "Not biologically mine, no," he said. Eager to get off that topic, Loki carefully put his hand on Hank's knee under the table. "But don't worry yourself about that. You're only meant to enjoy yourself this evening."

Hank hummed a little and went back to his meal. Loki was a bit worried that the man wouldn't give him much of a chance, but at the very least, he supposed he was getting a good dinner out of this. The three of them chatted their way through dinner about nothing particularly pressing and even partook in a little dessert before Hank excused himself.

Loki hummed as he watched the older man leave. "Taking something is he?" Loki assumed before draining the last of his wine.

"Probably," Natasha agreed. "He usually goes to the bathroom before we leave. Either he just doesn't want to risk a full bladder, or he wants some help."

"He's older than I was expecting," Loki admitted. "Are all your customers like that now?"

"No. But despite that rough exterior of his, he's kind of a sweetheart and willing to indulge me," Natasha said as she patted her mouth with her napkin.

Loki snorted. "You have him wrapped around your finger, you mean."

"He's a lonely man," Natasha said. "As you might have heard his relationship with his daughter is strained, and I can't seem to find anything to say he has any close friends. I think... I might be the most frequent visitor he has."

"... I see," Loki mused. That was rather sad, but it probably would be a bad idea to pry.

Hank returned to the table after a few minutes and gestured. "Shall we go?" he asked.

"Of course," Natasha agreed as she fluttered her eyelashes just a little. Loki couldn't help but smirk at her seduction techniques that were probably not necessary. But, perhaps that added to the illusion that this was a real 'date' and not a hired outing. Loki would have to remember to ask later.

A cold drizzle had started while they were eating dinner so as they waited for the car to be brought around, the three of them huddled together under the awning. It was a good excuse to touch without it being too obvious. Natasha had it easier pressing her curvy form into Hank's side. Loki slid off his jacket to wrap around her bare shoulders, leaving him in only his somewhat too tight shirt. Taking the opportunity, Loki shifted closer to the other two so that his arm was brushing Hank's other one.

A different car from the one that had dropped of Natasha and Loki was brought around, and all three got into the back bench without hesitation. Hank was guided by both Loki and Natasha to be in the middle. Natasha's hand came to rest on Hank's thigh while Loki shifted his body so that he was more provocatively positioned while hooking his arm over the back of the bench. Hank seemed to hesitate with uncertainty but then took one arm and slid it around Loki's waist. Loki flashed him a grin and allowed the older man to pull him a little closer.

"Just go with what feels right," Natasha coached as she leaned closer to press her mouth against Hank's neck.

"She's right," Loki purred as he let his own hand slide against Hank's inner thigh dangerously close to the other man's crotch. "There's no need to push yourself if you don't want to."

Hank's eyes closed for a moment as Natasha's mouth moved against his skin and two very skilled hands rubbed his legs. "Trust me, I don't do things if I don't want to," he said.

"Mm, decisive. I like that in a man," Loki said as he leaned closer and pressed his own lips to the opposite side of Hank's neck. Hank groaned a little as the two of them licked and sucked and gently nipped at his skin.

Loki and Natasha continued to work Hank up with fluttering touches and talented mouths as their driver moved through city traffic. Loki even got bold enough to run his hand along the growing bulge in Hank's trousers, which got a sharp gasp of surprise. "Naughty, Loki," Natasha scolded teasingly. "We'll get to that soon enough."

Loki chuckled and couldn't help but rub the other man again. "I can't _not_ be naughty, Tasha," he replied with a grin.

"You're a little hellion then, aren't you?" Hank asked, his face already flushed with arousal.

"Mm, I do have a bit of a reputation, yes," Loki agreed. "I've never been a particularly 'good' boy."

Hank shook his head a little but seemed amused. "Well, I suppose if nothing else you'll keep things interesting." Loki's smile widened, and he pressed closer to Hank's side.

"I get bored terribly easily," Loki said coyly. "I need to make things interesting for my own sanity."

Luckily, it wasn't too much longer before the car pulled up outside of a lovely old brick townhouse in a more affluent part of town. The rain was still falling in an annoying light sprinkle, but the walk up to the front door was a short one. Hank fumbled with the keys a bit but managed to unlock the door and let them inside before they got completely soaked. Not that it really mattered, Loki didn't think. They'd all be without clothes soon enough.

They had barely shed their coats at the pegs by the front door before Natasha took Hank by the hand and started leading him up the hand-carved stairs. Loki smirked a little and made sure to flick the lock on the front door before following them up. Now things were getting into territory he was more familiar with.

Natasha didn't bother to turn on any lights as she led Hank by the hand through the halls of the house. Loki followed suit and kept the darkness. The house was very quiet -not even creaking from age- so Loki could hear the rain lightly hitting the windows they passed by. Natasha tossed Hank a grin in the dim light as she opened a door that Loki assumed was the master bedroom.

Sure enough, inside the room was a large bed several antique dressers and a few doors which were currently closed -Loki assumed closets and perhaps a bathroom. Natasha gently guided Hank to sit down as Loki came up to her and wrapped his arm around her waist. "Well? Have you thought more about what you want?" Loki asked innocently as he rested his chin on Natasha's shoulder.

Hank seemed caught off guard and opened his mouth to answer but then closed it again. "Hmm, he seems a little out of his depth, Tasha," Loki said as his hand rubbed her hip. "Perhaps we can help him with that..."

"Mm, I think we can, yes," Natasha said. "Show him where your nickname comes from, Silvertounge."

Loki smacked her backside a little in reprimand, but she only smirked at him. That was _not_ why people called him that and she knew it. Well, it wasn't the first reason anyway. "Minx," he accused, and Natasha fluffed her damp hair without a care.

Still, it was a good place to start so Loki moved away from Natasha and went to his knees in front of Hank, who was watching him intensely. "Maybe you can give him a show, Tasha," Loki suggested as he undid the other man's trousers. Hank's eyes zipped back to Natasha instantly at that suggestion, and Loki heard her laugh.

Loki didn't bother to look behind him to see if Natasha was taking him up on the suggestion. Instead, he pulled Hank's half-mast cock free of his trousers and boxers. He gave the man a few slow strokes from his hand before leaning forward to wrap his mouth around the length. Hank hissed, and Loki felt fingers in his hair, but he was quite used to that. Loki took his time in sucking and licking as the other man grew harder in his mouth. He heard a long zipper and knew that Tasha was probably getting out of her dress, but Loki didn't lift his head to confirm.

The hand on the back of Loki's head pushed and Loki obediently went lower, relaxing his jaw and throat so that he could manage without hurting himself. Hank pressed his hips up for more as Loki sucked and swirled his tongue. Loki was looking for what the other man liked best as he bobbed his head slowly. Hank moaned and used his grip on Loki's hair to guide the younger man to move faster.

Behind him, Loki heard fabric hitting the floor, and the tight grip in his hair urged him to move faster. Loki obeyed the silent command even as a pair of slender hands went to his shoulders and wrapped around him. He hummed as Natasha deftly loosened his tie and then undid the buttons of his shirt. Loki didn't have to do much besides roll his shoulders a little as Natasha helped him get undressed from the waist up, so he found a spot that made Hank whimper in pleasure when he pressed his tongue against it.

Hank's legs spread more and then Natasha was kneeling beside Loki. Loki pulled back as Natasha leaned forward. Hank moaned as a second pair of lips pressed against his hard length. Loki and Natasha traded back and forth, leaving almost no bit of skin untouched between their lips and tongues. It was a messy, wet task and more than once Loki and Natasha's mouths brushed each other but neither paid much attention to that. Hank hissed and groaned even as his hands guided both of them however he wanted them.

After several minutes, Hank pushed them both back a little bit. The pants that Loki had undone were dropped entirely, and then the older man worked quickly on his shirt. Once he was completely nude, Hank laid back on the bed and gestured for Natasha. Loki watched as Nat went to the other man and started grinding along his wet cock. Loki quickly undid his trousers and discarded them off to the side. They were definitely in the way at this point. Loki got onto the bed behind Tasha and started fondling her for Hank's viewing pleasure. Hank groaned and grabbed at Natasha's hips.

Natasha let out a little noise as she was impaled on the old man's erection but started riding him without hesitation. Loki's hands and lips continued to feather over Natasha's exposed body for a moment before Loki shifted to press teasing kisses across Hank's chest.

Loki made sure to keep fanning the flames even as Hank moved faster and harder while Natasha was riding him. After a little while, the older man seemed to get tired of working his ab muscles and changed their position so that Nat was on her hands and knees with Hank behind her. "Suck him," Hank grunted. Natasha glanced up at Loki who inclined his head a little to tell her it was alright. That might not be something he particularly desired, but he trusted Natasha to make it at least pleasurable enough.

Natasha gave him a quick smile before leaning forward and taking his cock in her mouth. Loki hissed at the sensation before starting to gently rock his hips forward. Hank was moving much harder behind Natasha and groaned every time he glanced down at Loki's cock disappearing into Nat's mouth. Hank took hold of Natasha's wrists and used the grip to pull her back into his thrusts as Loki gently ran his hands through her curly red hair.

Hank's speed and force kept rising and falling until he sat back panting somewhat hard. "Give me a minute," he said.

Natasha lifted her head off of Loki's crotch and looked back even as Hank's eyes roamed over his two bed partners. After his minute to catch his breath, Hank gestured with one finger. "Come here, Loki, I want to try you out," he said. "That was the point of this right?"

"It was," Loki agreed as he moved closer. "How do you want me?"

"On your back... Natasha, sit on his face," Hank ordered huskily.

Loki's eyebrow went up but obediently laid back and spread his legs. Hank pried his thighs further apart, but there was a long moment's pause. Natasha saw the hesitation and moved to take hold of Hank's cock. "It's alright," she assured the older man. "It'll feel great, you'll see," Natasha coaxed as she helped Hank take Loki under him for the first time. Loki couldn't quite help but hiss even as Hank cursed. Loki had prepared himself that morning, knowing he was going to be with a straight man, but that had been hours ago now.

"That's it, nice and slow," Natasha coached as she helped Hank begin to move his hips.

"Alright, alright, I got it," Hank said as he grabbed Loki's narrow hips. Hank started thrusting his hips, and Loki couldn't quite help the noises that escaped when he was pounded into. Loki took a moment to adjust to the slight pain of being entered with such force and little preparation, but then he started rocking his hips along with Hank. Grinding them together for even more pleasure as the older man bottomed out again and again.

Natasha guided the older man for another moment or two before doing as he'd first told her and straddling Loki's head. Loki's mouth went to work, licking and sucking and thrusting with his talented tongue between his own moans and groans. Loki could vaguely hear Natasha groaning as well up above him, but paid that little attention. He had to put a lot of attention into eating the redhead out while Loki was being fucked so hard. Hank shifted so that Loki's legs were pushed up higher and the new angle made Loki cry out.

Natasha's hips moved over Loki's head, and Loki pressed his lips and tongue harder to bring his friend even more pleasure. Hank moaned, and his hips jerked a little erratically before he abruptly pulled free of Loki's tight body. "Here, Natasha," Hank said. "Don't move... just take this."

Loki wasn't sure what was going on, but a moment later he figured it out when Natasha's hot mouth wrapped around his cock again. Loki groaned and jerked upwards. The two of them continued to sixty-nine as Hank watched until the older man decided to get involved again, pulling Natasha away and into his lap.

Loki pushed himself up on his elbow and watched Natasha ride the older man for several moments as he caught his breath. It looked like Hank was really enjoying himself. Hank glanced at Loki and gestured for him to come closer. Loki was surprised but pleasantly so and instantly went over to do whatever had sparked in Hank's mind.

The three of them spent most of the night switching positions and combinations however Hank wanted to try. Loki in the middle, Natasha in the middle, both sandwiched together, Hank's cock being pleasured by them both, even Loki being fucked while fucking Natasha happened a few times. But eventually, Hank reached his limit and pounded Natasha into the mattress from behind until he came.

Once he was done, Hank collapsed onto the bed and fought to catch his breath. Natasha curled up against him, and Loki took his other side. "You kept up well," Loki said, a little out of breath himself. "Quite impressive."

"How did you like having Loki with us?" Natasha asked as she ran her fingers down Hank's still slightly heaving chest.

Hank was quiet for a moment. "Yeah... I suppose it's not bad," he finally answered. "He's pretty tight."

Loki chuckled at that and pushed himself up on his elbow. "An ass usually is," he said. "But what about my mouth?"

Hank opened his eyes to look over at Loki. "Your mouth... that is _very_ nice." Loki grinned, he had known that would be a point in his favor. He hadn't met too many that didn't like it when he used his mouth on them.

"I told you," Natasha said.

"Yes, yes," Hank grumbled. "Now let me sleep, Natasha," he said as he closed his eyes.

Natasha and Loki shared a brief victorious grin before Loki laid down to rest a bit before they would go home. Things were definitely looking up. Even if Hank only wanted to see him for his mouth, well, that was still a client and one more than he had before tonight.


	21. Chapter 21

The car picked Loki and Natasha up early in the morning. Hank hadn't woken up to say goodbye but Natasha assured Loki that was normal for how their relationship always went. Loki figured that she knew best so he didn't argue. The car took the pair back to Shield and Loki took a long hot shower before changing back into his normal clothes. "I think he liked you," Natasha called as she came out of her bedroom with only a robe on. "I'll make sure Coulson talks to Hank sometime soon and tries to set up a solo date with you or something."

"He might need a couple doubles to ease into it a bit more," Loki said as he threaded his earring back in place. "If you don't mind that is."

"Mm, I suppose not," Natasha said as she leaned against the door frame of the bathroom. "You aren't a bad lover after all."

Loki tossed her a smirk. "You know damn well, I am fantastic," he said.

"I'm not going to inflate your ego more," Natasha said. "I called down to get a car for you. No need for you to try and walk back after the night we've had."

"It wasn't that bad," Loki said. "Hank didn't seem willing to do much in the way of pounding me yet."

"I'm sure he'll get over it given some time," Natasha said.

"Undoubtedly." Loki left the bathroom to grab his wallet and shoes from where he'd left them in the living room. "But I have to get home, Tasha. The kids will be waking up in an hour or so and I know that Peter, at least, was very worried about me going out tonight."

"Why?"

Loki sighed and put his wallet away. "He's been getting that way more and more."

"He's protective of you," Natasha said. "It's sweet."

Loki decided it was probably better to not address that comment at all. Tasha was probably more right than Loki really wanted to think about or even admit. "Goodbye, Tasha. I'll call you," Loki said.

"Get some rest," Natasha said just before Loki closed the door to the apartment.

Loki, having been in the Shield building more than once by this point, was able to easily backtrack his way to the elevator and then down to the main lobby. There was still a receptionist at the desk although this one was a full-bodied Latina. A siren screamed past as Loki went up to her desk and leaned against the front. "Is there a car coming for me?" Loki asked. "Natasha said she'd called for one."

"Yes, it should be around in just a second," she said.

Loki nodded and pulled out his phone to flip through the various news articles. The one about Thor was still floating on the front page of several different news outlets but Loki resolutely scrolled past. He'd already been too stupid for his own good. If Loki dwelt on his family too much then he might do something even less intelligent than he had already. Like calling his Mother or something. Loki knew himself well enough to realize he'd never be able to hang up on his Mother the way that he had hung up on Thor.

Loki was scrolling through a stupid list article about 'common house plants that are actually toxic!' when there was a honk from just outside. Loki looked up to see a black car pulled up to the curb. "Have a nice day," the receptionist said as Loki moved. Loki lifted a hand to her in acknowledgement.

The car wasn't as comfortable as the one that he and Natasha had taken to the restaurant but it was infinitely better than having to walk all the way back home. Loki gave his address to the driver before turning back to his phone. He was anticipating hopefully starting to earn enough money to move to a better place soon, so Loki didn't figure his usual amount of utter caution was quite as necessary. 

The car slowed to a crawl and Loki glanced up to see a strange amount of traffic up ahead considering how early it was. "Fantastic," he said to himself before turning his attention to his phone. Loki had been hoping to get home and maybe catch a nap before the kids woke up.

Traffic still made the car crawl even when they reached the turn. But when they did finally make it onto the proper street, flashing lights caught Loki's attention. A large red firetruck was angled across the street along with two cop cars, preventing any traffic from passing. Loki felt his heart fall straight out of his body as he looked past the firetruck to see his building blackened and smoking as water from hoses was sprayed everywhere.

Loki didn't bother to give any warning and jumped out of the car despite the protests from the driver. There were crowds of people watching that Loki pushed through impatiently. The smell of smoke was too heavy in the air. The police had made a barrier across the street and Loki could see an ambulance on the other side of the firetruck. Loki ignored the tape that the cops had strung across the street.

"Sir! You can't cross the line."

"That's my building!" Loki snapped, pointing to the torched building that was still getting doused with water. "My kids are in there!"

The cop frowned but didn't try to stop Loki as he rushed forward again. Loki didn't get very far before a man in a black windbreaker caught his arm. "Let me go!"

"There's nobody in there anymore!" the man said quickly.

"Then where are my kids?"

"Let's go check with the EMTs... anyone not here has already been sent to the hospital," the man said.

That didn't actually help Loki's panic all that much. If the kids had been sent to the hospital that meant they were hurt. And Wanda and Pietro were absolutely against the hospital so if they were sent there who knew what they would do. Loki stopped dead when he rounded the firetruck and he saw several black bags laid out across the pavement.

A quick count brought the body bags to four. 

Loki was sure the entirety of his insides froze over and just stopped working.

"Loki!"

Loki jerked his eyes away from the bags to look to the side. Wanda was hurrying across the pavement from where she had been standing by the ambulance. "Wanda! What happened? Is everyone alright?"

Wanda looked more than a little distraught but not injured. "I'm not sure what happened really but everyone's okay," she said as Loki grabbed her by the arms. "Just a few scrapes and bruises and a little coughing from the smoke."

Loki slumped and let his forehead drop onto her pajama-clad shoulder. His heart had started beating again but he just couldn't take this sort of scare. "Where is everyone?"

"Once the EMTs cleared us they wanted to send us to the hospital since none of us were adults... but Peter and Pietro took them somewhere Peter said was safe. I don't know where. Peter said someone called Wade?" Wanda said, looking uncertain near the end of her explanation.

Loki, for once, was beyond glad to hear the crazy man's name. That meant he knew exactly where the kids were and that they were indeed healthy. Peter wouldn't have brought any of them to Wade's place if they were hurt. 

"Is everything alright?" the man from before asked.

Loki looked up at him and nodded. "Yes, a friend took my kids. Thank you for your help."

"Sure," the man, who Loki thought might be some sort of fire investigator or something judging from the patches on his jacket and shirt, said. "Oh, I do need to ask you a question or two before you go."

"Can't it wait?" Loki asked impatiently. He needed to get to the kids and make sure for himself they were alright. Hela was probably terrified. She was terribly pyrophobic after being burned on her face so badly, which was entirely understandable.

"It'll only take a moment, I promise," the man said.

"Alright fine, quick though," Loki said.

"Do you know who lives in apartment 3C?"

Loki felt a sudden wave of trepidation. "Yeah... her name's Angrboda. Why?"

"We're fairly sure that's where the fire originated from," the investigator said as he wrote a note down on his notepad. "What's her last name?" Loki told him. "Could you identify her by chance?"

Loki's eyes drifted over to the bags on the concrete again. That trepidation was building even higher. "She's the mother of three of my children... of course I can," he said.

"Is she your wife?"

"No," Loki said. "But we've been... involved for years." That was a statement meant entirely to have the man draw the wrong conclusion, but if Loki's fears were true there was no harm in the slight misinformation. If Angrboda had been in her apartment when the fire broke out, Loki had the feeling that setting himself up as the biological father of her children early would be safest and easiest route. 

"I see. Well, I'm going to need your contact information and... we'll probably be contacting you soon," the man said.

Loki quickly gave the man his number and answered a few more banal questions about who lived where in the apartment and about the landlord. Finally, the investigator let him go and Loki took Wanda by the hand to lead down the street.

"So do you know where the others are?" Wanda asked as they walked.

"Yes," Loki said. He pulled out his phone and quickly dialed Tasha's number.

"Loki."

"Tasha... something's happened," Loki said.

"Something like what?"

"... Angrboda set the building on fire. I think she's dead."

"What!?" Loki could hear movement on the other side of the phone. "Is everyone okay? The kids?"

"I'm going to meet them now. Peter took them to Wade's," Loki said. "You know he wouldn't do that if anything was seriously wrong with them. But... well, the building is torched, Tasha. We have no place to go and I doubt Peter thought to grab any of my money stash."

Natasha was quiet for a moment. "I'm going to call Coulson right now," she said. "Hank liked you and if they gave me a place to stay once they hired me then they can damn well give you and the kids a place."

"Thanks, Tasha."

"Don't thank me. This is what we do. We look out for each other," Natasha said. "Now, you go get your kids and I'll make sure everything gets set up on this side. I'll call you in just a bit."

Loki didn't bother thanking her again, partially because she hung up before he even could. Loki guided Wanda through the city at a fast clip. "Did Peter think to grab his phone, do you know?" Loki asked.

"I don't think so," Wanda said.

Loki wasn't that surprised but still a little annoyed, because he'd much rather call and make sure that everyone was alright. They were still several blocks from where Wade lived with his roommate -who had to be a saint to put up with Wade's particular brand of crazy.

The pair of them got honked at as they crossed streets recklessly and darted between slow moving or parked cars. Luckily, there wasn't that much traffic as the sun was only just starting to rise, but Loki knew that would be changing soon enough. The streets started to become lined with row-houses opposed to apartment buildings and things were kept a little nicer. 

After two streets of cramped row homes, Loki and Wanda came to a street that had a smattering of one story homes squeezed into narrow yards. Loki went to a house in the middle and pounded his fist against the door.

There was a moment of waiting and then the door opened. The blind old woman that actually _owned_ the house was standing there. "Loki."

"Al. Where are they?" Loki asked as he pushed past her.

"I figured you'd be showing up soon," Al said.

Loki paused and turned back to her even though she couldn't see where his attention was focused. "Do you want a medal for the most obvious conclusion ever? I get home and my house is burned down and my kids gone. Of fuckin' course I showed up!"

Al didn't get a chance to respond as Hela came tearing into the room already calling for Loki. Loki quickly picked her up and held her as she clung to his shirt and cried into his shoulder. "It's alright, Hela baby. You're alright," Loki said.

Loki saw the others come in from the living room looking to be in various states of disheveled and upset. Fenris came over and wrapped his arms around Loki's waist tightly. Loki put a hand to his head and then let his arm slide down to return the hug. "Everyone's alright," Pietro said from the doorway. "Fenris smelled the smoke before it got really bad and we got out early."

Loki gave Fenris a squeeze. He should have expected Fenris to have noticed something like smoke. He'd always had a sensitive nose and been easily offended by strong smells. Complaints from Fenris had actually been what prompted Loki to finally give up smoking -aside from just not wanting to spend so much money on the damn things anymore.

"Come on, let's go sit down," Loki said as he guided the others back into the living room.

Peter was sitting on the couch beside Wade, and Wade his arm wrapped around Peter's shoulders. Loki wanted to make a comment but then let it go. There were far more pressing things to deal with than if Peter was perhaps a little closer to Wade than Loki really liked. Loki sat down on the edge of the couch and shifted Hela to be sitting on his thigh. She still clung to him but was a little bit better situated. Sleipnir sat between Loki and Peter with Fenris squeezed onto his lap and Jormungundr perched himself on the armrest on the other side of Loki. "Is everyone alright?" Loki asked as Wanda and Pietro took a couple spots on the floor beside the coffee table.

"Yes," Jormungundr said softly. "We're all fine. It just was scary."

"I'm sure it was," Loki said. Hela buried her face deeper into Loki's shirt and he brushed her hair back in an attempt to be soothing. 

"They said that the fire started next door," Sleipnir said. "Was... do you think it was dad? Because I didn't come home?"

Loki frowned and reached over to wrap his arm around the boy. "I don't think so, no," he said. "I'm sure it was something in the wiring or something like that. Your father wouldn't have set a fire to try and get you back." Loki doubted that Svadilfari really wanted Sleipnir back at all since he was so irresponsible, but Loki kept that to himself. He didn't particularly think that the wiring had been the cause of the fire either.

Loki thought it was most likely that Angrboda, while getting high and using open flames, probably fell asleep or passed out and set the fire by accident. He had no proof of course, and he doubted that the investigators would tell him for certain, but that was his gut feeling on the matter. "It doesn't matter how the fire started," Loki said. "So long as we're all alive and unhurt."

"But where are we going to live?" Jormungundr asked.

"Tasha is getting us a place where she is," Loki said.

"Doesn't she live in Red Room?" Wade asked.

"Not anymore," Loki said.

Loki's phone started going off and he quickly pulled it out of his pocket to answer it. "Hello?"

"Are you at Wade's already?" Tasha asked.

"Yes. The kids are all here and fine."

"Good," Tasha said. "I've got Coulson arranging for a room for you. There will be a car to pick you up in the morning."

"You're a life saver, Tasha."

"You will have to sign some papers, though... there's contracts and things. And Coulson wants me to stress that if you don't find at least one full time client things might get... problematic. I didn't ask what that meant but I imagine it means you'd have to do some things you may not like to do."

"I figured," Loki said. The warning was ominous but Loki was already doing things he didn't really want to do in order to pay bills, so it wasn't enough to deter him. "But that's fine. I'm sort of... very low on options." Finding an apartment that would let him just pay cash and not ask for a credit history _and_ ignore all the kids was a tall order. Al's house wasn't a long term solution either. The only other thing he'd be able to do was perhaps find a hotel room to live out of and most hotels would get fed up with that damn quick. Even if Shield wanted him to sign his soul away, Loki didn't have the ability to say no. They were offering the only long term solution.


	22. Chapter 22

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, Tony is back from being held captive. His first thought is not to go find the male hooker he had a few nights with but he and Loki will be getting together soon. I swears. At least he's safe now, yall.

Shield was nothing if not an efficient company to work for. Loki and the kids had been moved into an apartment with all new things just a few doors down from Natasha by lunch the day after the fire. Wanda and Pietro tried to slip out of the situation, but Hela's huge eyes convinced them to stay 'for a little while longer' despite reservations. Loki found that very few people could say no to Hela's puppy dog eyes.

Loki wasn't fond with the contract that Shield had wanted him to sign. It was far too open-ended for his tastes. Loki did manage to get them to strike out several things that were just too vaguely worded such as 'however required' and 'by handler discretion' that gave away just too much of Loki's autonomy. He couldn't get them to budge on as much as he wanted -since Loki was definitely the one that needed the deal to go through so Loki had the least bargaining power- but he'd at least gotten a few concessions out of them to make it taste at least a little more palatable.

A week after Loki had signed up, Hank had requested him and Natasha again. It eased some of the pressure which had been building for Loki to find a client. Another week after that Coulson to come to Loki with a new job request. Justin Hammer wanted someone like a 'tall, dark-haired, elegant, flexible vixen lady' even though every single one of those words didn't quite all jive with Loki. Coulson had convinced Hammer that so long as nobody else knew Loki was a man, it would still work. Loki was glad that Coulson had made an effort to sway a client his way even if it resulted in Loki being in drag and hanging off Justin Hammer's arm at some overblown company party of his before going back to Hammer's penthouse with the man.

Justin wasn't the best lover as he just went at it until he finished and barely paid attention to Loki at all. But, clearly, Hammer liked it as he had come back and specifically requested Loki for his next event. Justin tried to play it off as if Loki had impressed him by being able to make small talk with high society types, but Loki thought the man just got some vicarious thrill out of fucking another man wearing a dress that all of his guests thought was a woman. But Loki got over his slight annoyance about it since Hammer was a wealthy enough man that Shield got off his back about not having clients.

With Justin and Hank both buying him, it didn't take too long for Loki to manage to snag a few other high ranking regulars. Some were in the closet so made Loki either dress in drag or sneak around, a few were out in the open about liking men, and some had just heard how good his mouth was, but Loki didn't care why they wanted him so much as they paid well.

CPS kept trying to bother Loki about the kids, but now that Loki had access to some lawyers he was able to keep them at bay. After a few weeks, CPS did finally drop it and accept that Loki was the father of Angrboda's children because they had far more pressing cases to deal with than someone who _wanted_ to take in three minors. Loki was still worried about them in the back of his mind because all it took was one person to start getting too ambitious and they'd probably try to take the kids from him. They also had questions about the older kids, Peter specifically since he'd fled his last foster home.

One CPS agent even wanted to put Peter back into the system with some family on the other side of the city. Loki had to do some fast thinking to manage to not lose Peter to the mess that was the foster system. The only way it really worked was for Loki to register himself as a foster parent because Peter's Aunt May was still alive and technically had guardianship and couldn't sign that over, seeing how she was in a coma. Shield's lawyers had to get everything all straightened out, and Loki wasn't quite sure how they'd managed it but was grateful they had.

About five weeks after Loki had started working for SHIELD, Loki was in the kitchen cooking up some breakfast while listening to the news when the breaking story caught his attention. "Billionaire and business mogul Tony Stark has been found today by the American Military."

Loki looked up to see the image of Tony Stark pop up on the TV screen. The newscaster was going on and on about how he was being treated for injuries and then will be heading back to the United States and the daring story of some rescue mission by joint military task forces. Loki wasn't really listening to all of that, however.

Loki stared at the newscaster for a moment before letting out a long sigh. He was glad that Tony Stark was alive and found. He'd been a nice non-judgmental client that treated Loki well. And they'd even had a friendly conversation or two. Loki rarely had a John he both enjoyed sleeping with and could talk to. Loki wondered how badly Tony was hurt. It probably wouldn't be a good idea to visit though. Loki was just some hooker that Tony had slept with twice. He didn't have any real cause to visit.

Still, Loki wanted to check in at least. He regretted that he didn't have even Happy's number to call. But he never before _called_ clients. They came to him. Maybe Loki could drop by the penthouse at some point in the next few days to tell Tony he was glad that he was alright. Would that be creepy? That seemed kind of creepy. Probably not a good idea.

Loki's phone buzzed on the counter, and he picked it up to see a text message from Amora. _What's sounding mean in sex talk?_ Loki frowned and dialed in her number immediately. That was a bizarre question to hear from her and Loki had to admit it worried him. "Hello?" Amora answered.

"Why are you asking about that?"

"Well... my boyfriend wants to do it, and I was kind of nervous to tell him I didn't know what that was..." she said.

Loki blinked several times. "Sounding is sticking a sex toy down your urethra," Loki said. "Ya know... what you piss out of."

"What?"

"Yeah. Does he want to do it to you or does he want you to do it to him?" Loki asked as he flipped some of the bacon he was cooking.

"Um, pretty sure the first one," Amora said.

Loki frowned. "And... are you okay with that?" Loki didn't want to assume, but Amora hadn't even known what that even _was_ so Loki found it hard to believe Amora would be interested in such a sex act.

"Well-"

"No. Don't say well. Yes or no answer, Amora," Loki cut her off.

"No, but I want to make him happy!"

Loki sighed and shifted his phone to pin it between his cheek and his shoulder so that both hands were free. He had to get the bacon out, or it would burn up. "Alright. I understand wanting to make him happy. But you need to tell him you're not interested in doing that."

"But... he'll get mad."

"So?"

There was an awkward pause on the other end of the phone. "Amora?"

"I'm here... I'm just- when he gets mad he's like a completely different person, and sometimes he scares me a little," Amora said.

Loki's eyebrow went up. A little? She sounded more than a 'little' afraid of this guy. "Amora. I'm going to text you an address. I want you to get into a cab and come here to meet me. I think we need to have a full on sit down talk about this boyfriend of yours."

"I can't right now. I'm at work."

Loki frowned and looked over at the clock. "Already? Isn't it a little early to be in the office, Amora?"

"Um, well, we had a huge fight last night, and I didn't want to argue with him again this morning, so I left the house early," Amora said. "Although I think he's mad at me for doing that because he's sent me five text messages and two emails since I've been here."

"Okay, that's not even a little bit normal. Come by after work," Loki said.

"But-"

"Amora. Trust me. Just come to my place. We'll have a chat, maybe drink some wine, I'll drag Tasha in on it, and we'll have a grand old time. Maybe order some pizza and watch trashy ass movies," Loki said.

Amora took a moment to answer. "He said to come home right after work."

"I don't give a flying fuck what he told you to do, Amora," Loki said. He was very much fed up with this boyfriend of hers. "He doesn't own you. Come to my place, and if he gets mad, _I'll_ deal with him for you."

"You can't do that!"

"Why not?"

"B-because he's... he's really rich, and he has all these lawyers and-"

"And if he comes after me and I defend myself then that is entirely defensible," Loki interrupted. "Trust me, Amora. You are allowed to make your own decisions and come over to a friend's house for cheap wine and pizza."

"... alright," Amora finally said. "But... if he does get mad, please don't get involved."

Loki frowned. "I promise," he lied. If it got Amora over to his place so that Loki could find out what the deal was then Loki wasn't above lying through his teeth. "I'll text you my new address."

Amora said goodbye and hung up after a few more reassurances from Loki that it was really okay for her to come over to his place. Loki texted the address like he said he would and then called Natasha. "Tasha. Remember that girl I was telling you about?"

"The one with the boyfriend giving you bad vibes?"

"Uh huh. I invited her over my place this afternoon. I want you there," Loki said.

"Why?"

"Because that bad vibe has gone up in intensity after the talk I just had with her," Loki said. "The whole situation just reeks of 'this will end with murder' or something equally unpleasant. She texted me asking what sounding was because her boyfriend wants to do it to her. And when I asked if that was something she thought she might be interested in she said 'no, but.'"

"That could be nothing," Natasha said.

Loki nodded a little as he put some eggs in his frying pan. "True... but then she went on to tell me how mad he got and how it scared her. So, ya know... flags. But I need to find out if this is just me being way too used to seeing bad things or something to legitimately do something about."

"Alright," Tasha agreed. "I'll come by and help you dig out the truth."

"You're the best."

"I know."

"Oh, did your biopsy results come back yet?" Loki asked.

There was a long silence on the other end. "... not yet," Tasha said.

Loki frowned. "Really? It's taking an awfully long time isn't it?" Loki would have definitely assumed that the test results would have been back before now. It had been weeks after all.

"You would have thought. But I guess it takes longer than a simple pap smear or something like that," Natasha said. "Anyway, I've got something that smells like it's burning. Bye!"

Loki would have said goodbye himself, but the line went dead. Loki pulled his phone away and frowned at it. "... right. That was very convincing, Tasha. I definitely believe you." It looked as if Loki was going to have to go mining for secrets from both Tasha and Amora.

"Loki?"

Loki looked over his shoulder to see Hela standing there with his old robe like a blanket clutched in her hands. "Hela baby, you're up early," Loki said as he went to go pick her up. "Are you hungry?"

Hela nodded and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Uh huh."

"Well, lucky for you I've been making us a feast fit for the gods," Loki said as he took her over to the breakfast bar and carefully set her down. "Would you like juice or milk?" Loki asked as he went to the fridge.

"Juice."

"Alright. Milk with lunch then," Loki said as he pulled out some apple juice for his princess. By the time he was putting a plate of food down in front of her, most of the other kids had wandered into the living area as well. "Morning," Loki greeted. "Get a plate. There's plenty of bacon, but I'm still doing the eggs."

"Need help?" Wanda asked.

"If you want to make up some more toast, that would be nice," Loki said while pointing to the toaster with his spatula.

"Right."

The TV, which was still on, came back to the news program that Loki had been watching. "In local news, another victim of the Sex Street Shooter was uncovered this morning, taking the total number of his victims into the double digits. The police believe that the killer is a white man in his late thirties to mid-forties that most likely is an immigrant himself. Any information about the killings or victims may be subject to a reward. Please, if you have any contact the police at the number on the screen."

Loki looked over his shoulder at the TV to see another dark-haired immigrant -female this time- that he recognized from the streets displayed on the screen. Loki frowned and turned back to his cooking. The fact that the killer had managed to get up to ten and still had so little known about him was a bit frightening. "It's a good thing you're not still on the streets," Pietro murmured. "This man is killing a lot of people."

"Indeed he is," Loki agreed as he slid some eggs onto Sleipnir's plate.

"Why is he still hanging around Sex Street, though?" Peter wondered aloud. "I mean the police were already patrolling the neighborhood like twice as much as they used to before we left."

"Maybe it's close to where he lives," Wanda suggested.

"Maybe he's looking for someone specific?" Fenrir questioned.

Loki froze for a heartbeat at that thought but quickly shook it off. "Alright, that's enough discussion of serial killers for one day," he said as he finally cracked the egg in his hand over the pan. "Have all of you done your homework? And have it packed in your bags?" There was a jumble of answers, mostly yes, but a few no. "Then you should all hurry it up. There won't be too much time before you need to go."

The kids either hurried to go do what Loki said or turned their attention to their meals as Loki continued to cook. There was no way that Fenrir's off-handed comment was right. The killer was just some random crazy with a thing for dark-haired immigrants. That was all. There would be much more for the reporters to sensationalize if there was more to the killings than that.


	23. Chapter 23

The phone hanging against the wall in Loki's kitchen rang around five o'clock in the evening. The receptionist said that Loki had a guest, so Loki went down to go collect her. Amora was wearing a different sort of makeup than she had been the last time Loki had seen her -a little bolder and in Loki's opinion less flattering- but he brushed that off. "Amora. I'm glad you came. I'll take you up to my place. But first... turn off your phone. Not turn it to silent. Turn it off."

"Why?" Amora asked even as she pulled her phone out of her purse.

"Because I don't want us being interrupted," Loki said. "We're going to have a good time, and you can't do that if what's his face is pestering you constantly about nothing."

"He just worries," Amora said.

"Well, text him to say that you're turning your phone off for a bit and will turn it back on when you're coming home. Then do it," Loki said with a little gesture to the phone. Experience told him that it would all go smoother if she didn't have her boyfriend trying to guilt her into coming home early.

Amora hesitated. "He really doesn't like it when he can't reach me..."

"He can deal with it for a couple hours," Loki said. "What does he do when you're in a meeting at work?"

"Nothing different really," Amora admitted before writing out a quick text. When she didn't immediately turn the phone off though, Loki took it from her and did it himself. He didn't particularly care that the phone had said that 'Wil' was typing a response. At least Loki had a name to go with the image forming in his head now.

Loki handed the off phone back to Amora. "There we go. Now we can go upstairs," he said as he hooked an arm around her shoulders. "Now, what sorta wine do you drink? Red or white? Sweet or dry? Something else entirely? I've got a few bottles of beer still, I think."

"Um, red mostly..."

"Oh good. A girl after my own liver," Loki said. "Come along."

Amora allowed herself to be led to the elevator. "I've never done this before," she said as Loki pressed the correct button for his and Tasha's floor.

"Done what before? Hung out with friends and drank cheap wine?" Loki asked. Amora nodded. "Well, this should be a novel experience for you," Loki said.

Amora was looking around at the bland apartment corridor as Loki led her through the building. "What kind of a place is this anyway? It didn't look like an apartment building from outside."

"It's where I work now. They have rooms for overseas guests to stay at rather than hotels. Until I get a new place though they are letting me stay here," Loki explained. He paused at Natasha's door and pounded on it a few times. "Tasha! Come on!"

"Don't you... work at that club?" Amora asked.

"I only ever did that on occasion and not anymore no," Loki said. It had been pure coincidence that had meant Amora found out that Loki occasionally worked at the Boudoir. Coincidence and a poorly thought out comment that Loki was still kicking himself for. Amora had mentioned that her boyfriend had wanted to take her there and Loki completely thoughtlessly told her that didn't seem like a normal date location what with the whips and chains. That, of course, led to Amora finding out a bit more than Loki had wanted. Although, if Loki were looking for a plus side, it did lead to Amora coming to Loki to explain things she wasn't sure about. Hence their current plans. "Tasha!" Loki called again with another few hits to her door.

After another moment, the door opened. "You're so impatient," Natasha complained as she got her purse and exited her place.

"Like you aren't looking forward a good dousing in wine?" Loki asked as Natasha locked her door and then hooked her arm with Loki's free one.

"Everyone could use a good dousing from time to time, but you needn't be so eager," Natasha said. "Very unattractive."

Loki rolled his eyes. "I'll worry about being unattractive later when I have someone to be attractive for," he said as they made their way down the hall to his apartment. The kids he'd sent out for a trip to the movies as a rare treat. Loki would prefer to go out with them, but with four teenagers he was relatively confident nothing terrible would happen without him there. Plus, it was much better than having the kids around for what he couldn't be sure would be a talk involving anything remotely wholesome.

In a matter of fifteen minutes, the three of them were in Loki's apartment with their glasses filled with wine and random bits of various snacks set out on the coffee table. "So, what movie are we watching? Something with a lot of mostly naked men I hope..." Natasha said.

"Mm, well, if you don't mind blood 300 has a lot of that," Loki suggested. "In slow motion. It's like the Baywatch of man porn."

"And they tend to be sweaty at the same time. Well, I don't imagine we'll be listening to the story anyway," Natasha said. "Go ahead and put it in," she said with a hand wave towards the television.

Loki chuckled some but did as she said before taking his seat on the other side of Amora. Natasha and Loki proceeded to start rating the different levels of sexy of all the leads as they came on and even managed to drag a few numbers out of Amora who was sitting between them. Loki allowed the movie to play for a while with his and Natasha's commentary while Amora relaxed before deciding to broach the real reason for this night. "So, Amora... tell us about this guy you're dating. How'd that start?"

"Um... the normal way, I guess? We went out for coffee," she said as she reached for a cracker.

"How long ago was that?" Natasha asked.

"Like... three months almost," Amora said. "Well, it hasn't been a full three months. We were broken up for a little bit."

Loki's eyebrow went up. "Broken up? What for?" he asked.

"Well, we were fighting a lot and he... I just didn't trust him," Amora said. She was staring down at her wine glass as she nibbled on her cracker. "I ran off, but I felt bad for not giving it a fair shot."

"Giving... what a fair shot?" Loki asked.

Amora went bright red. "Ya know... that-that Boudoir stuff..."

Natasha and Loki exchanged a glance over Amora's head. "Okay. There's a lot to unpack there," Natasha said. "First... I assume you mean he likes a kinkier environment?" Amora nodded. "And do you like that?"

Amora was quiet for several minutes, and Loki felt like pushing but knew that wouldn't get him anywhere, so he settled for sipping at his wine. She would answer more honestly if she weren't rushed. "I like some of it... a little," Amora said.

"You sound uncertain," Loki said. "It's okay if you do. Hell, I've been spanked until I couldn't sit, so I'm hardly one to judge."

"And it's okay if you don't," Natasha added. "Actually, ya know what? Let's back up. Why did you not trust him in the first place?"

Loki nodded despite having been mid-sip of his wine. He quickly lowered the glass. "Yes, much more important is that."

"It-It's silly," Amora said.

"Nothing that makes you distrust someone else is silly," Loki said. "There had to be something that you keyed in on to make you not trust him."

"He really likes hurting me," Amora said. "And, I don't feel like he'd stop if I told him to."

There was a long silence only filled by the sounds of swords clashing and people screaming from the movie. "Didn't the two of you come up with a word you can use to stop it?" Loki asked. "That's one of the very first things you're supposed to do."

"Well, yes," Amora said. "But... he doesn't like it when I use it. And... and sometimes he gets so into it I'm not sure it'll even work."

"Oookay," Natasha put her wine on the coffee table and sat up straighter. "Honey, listen to me very carefully. If you cannot trust him to stop the second that you use that word... you should not be playing those games with him."

"And you using it is not something he should get upset over," Loki added. "He's completely missing the point of why a safeword even exists if he gets upset with you for using it. Has he even... done this before?"

Amora nodded. "He's had lots of subs."

"I bet they peace out quick," Natasha muttered.

"What do you mean?" Amora asked.

"If any Sub with an ounce of experience were to pick up on the same lack of trust you did... they would not stay in that situation," Loki said. "It's only because you've never done this before that you're still trying to make it work."

"I love him," Amora said.

There was another awkward silence. "Why?" Loki asked finally.

"What?"

"Why do you love him," Loki asked. "Give me something about him that you really really like."

Amora bit her lower lip for a moment and then looked up. "He's really, really good in bed."

"So am I, something else," Loki said immediately waving his hand in a small circular motion to get more information.

"He... he can say really nice things about me," Amora said.

"Like what?" Natasha asked.

Amora put her wine glass down. "He said I was really good at my job and that I could run a whole company. And that I was the only one he'd actually dated."

"Okay. Sometimes he says nice things," Loki said. "Do you like anything else about him?"

"He... makes me feel good," Amora said awkwardly.

"Vibrators make you feel good," Natasha offered. "We can get you a killer vibrator."

Loki nodded. "They make rechargeable ones now. Just plug it in, and you're all set. Waterproof ones too for those... moist encounters."

"Not like that!" Amora said. Her face had turned bright red again. "Well, I mean, yes like that, but that wasn't what I meant. He's so good-looking and smart and wealthy, and he's interested in _me_."

"Ah..."

Natasha and Loki shared another long glance. "Amora," Loki said as he put his now empty glass down. "You don't _need_ him. How often does he say those nice things to you? A lot... or just after you've been fighting about something?"

Amora didn't answer right away. "I-He's been getting better," she finally said. "Even his therapist says he is. If I stick it out-"

"Amora, it isn't your job to fix him," Natasha said. "That's his therapist's job. If he becomes a better person _for you_ super. But you can't just kiss his scraped knee and make it all better for him. _He_ is the one that has to put in the work. Not you."

"Has it changed?" Loki asked. Amora looked over in confusion. "You said that you broke up with him because you didn't trust him. Has that changed?"

"He said... we'd only do what I said we could this time," Amora said instead of actually answering the question.

Natasha leaned forward to better see Amora's face. "And has that been what it's like... or does he just dictate everything without asking you first?"

Amora turned away and didn't answer. "I know it sounds bad from the outside... but it's really not like that. I love him, and I know he loves me," she said.

Loki hummed and leaned back against the side of the couch. "Lemme tell you a story, Amora," he said as he reached over and poured himself some fresh wine. "When I first came to this country I met a girl named Angrboda. We hit it off pretty good, and we had some fun in bed. I was like... sixteen, I think? I was high a lot back then, so it's hard to remember. She made me feel good for the first time in a really long time... I had a really crappy time before we met and I had really shitty self-worth at that point.

"But that didn't mean we were good together. We were co-dependent and only made each other's vices worse. It wasn't that it was easy with her... we fought all the damn time and then we'd get high or drunk and have sex and wake up and fight again. But, one day I realized as I was shooting up in a crappy apartment while she was passed out behind me on the bed that I was going to kill myself," Loki said. "I was going to burn out right there, and there'd be nothing at all to show for it."

There was a very long silence, and Loki took the chance to fill the other glasses with wine. He'd never really shared that story before and having done so made him anxious. "... it isn't the same thing," Amora finally said.

"You're not doing drugs, I assume, no," Loki said. "But it's not as different as you think either. She pulled me into her life, and I went along with it because she made me feel better when we weren't fighting. And it felt like we were constantly fighting. But then we'd shoot up together have some sex and pass out, and everything was fine for a while. Until we started to sober up or ran out of money or any number of things that would trigger a fight. Just because in your situation the 'drugs' is sex doesn't change a whole lot. And guess what, Amora... Angrboda is dead now. And I'm not. Because I got out of it."

"But... you don't understand. I love him," Amora said. "All my life all I wanted was someone to love me that much, and he does."

"Love isn't all that you need," Natasha said. "And I'm not sure he loves you in the first place. If he loved you... he wouldn't be upset that you used a safe word. Maybe he'd be kicking himself for taking it to the point you needed it, but he should never be upset with _you_. And it shouldn't be a great concession for him to do only what you agree to, which... you've said yourself he doesn't even follow through with that."

"But if I quit on us now-"

"You'll be doing nothing wrong," Loki said before Amora could finish. "There is no shame in a relationship not working, Amora. Some people just don't work together. If you do not trust him anymore this time than you did last time... then you should listen to your instincts. You do not owe him anything."

They were quiet for a long time while Amora digested everything that they had said. Loki just let the silence linger and turned his eyes to the television. He wasn't even sure what part of the movie they were on at this point, but Loki would pretend to watch it for a while so that Amora could gather her thoughts.

"I want to help him," Amora said finally.

"That's a very nice sentiment," Loki said. "But from what you're saying he either doesn't understand or doesn't care how to responsibly play the games he is. And if he's insisting on it without doing it responsibly that's not okay... it just becomes abusive at that point."

Amora frowned. "But he's not though."

"Are you ever afraid of him?" Natasha asked. "Because if you are... even for a second, then that is a problem. You already said you don't trust him fully. If you're afraid of him on top of that, then it isn't a situation that you need to be in."

"Your first priority should be making sure that _you_ are safe," Loki said. "He's well off from what you've told me. He has plenty of resources to help himself. If he really wants to be in a relationship with you, he should make some effort."

"He is making some effort," Amora said. "He's doing a lot of things with me he hasn't ever done before. More relationship stuff and less sex stuff."

Loki sighed. "Not to doubt you, Amora... but what proof do you have he's never done it before?" Loki asked. "I mean, I could say I never sucked another man's dick, but that doesn't make it true. It would surely make my customers feel really special, and that's about it."

"I have no reason to doubt he's telling the truth," Amora said.

"You already admitted to us that you don't trust him," Natasha said. "Why would you not trust him, but believe him about that?"

Amora sighed. "It's his mostly his control I doubt," she muttered. "He gets so caught up in everything..." Loki supposed that was slightly different. Not everyone was able to pull back at just a word from someone else. But that was also the whole point of what he and Natasha had said earlier. "Well, and the fact that he still has pictures of his exes."

Loki, who had been halfway through taking a sip of wine, nearly spat it back out and lowered his glass quickly to wipe his lips. "He has what?" Natasha asked. "Pictures of his exes, are you serious?"

"Sadly, yes," Amora said. "He says it's nothing to worry about, though. That it's all private."

"Why would he even still have them?" Loki asked. "Do his exes know he still has pictures of them?"

Amora looked a little taken aback. "I... I don't know," she said. "They might. I mean, he has a file for everyone he's dated. I don't think I'm the only person who's found out about that."

"A file," Loki repeated. "Like... a full on thing? Did you know he was making a file on you?"

"Well... no," Amora said. "He sort of did it before we were even dating."

"Amora, are you color blind by chance?" Natasha asked.

Amora frowned in apparent confusion. "Colorblind? No..."

"Okay, then I would like to draw your attention to the _array_ of red on all these flags right now," Natasha said with a hand wave. "So many different shades of them, it's somewhat amazing."

"It's not that bad," Amora denied.

"It sort of is," Loki said. "Just take a step back from how much you enjoy sleeping with the man and think about all the things you've told us."

Amora went quiet, and they just let her think about everything that they had brought up. "... I still feel like it's just that I'm not able to be the submissive he wants. I could probably do better. He said if I was a more experienced sub I would just deal with what he wanted, to make him happy."

"What? No. The sub would not 'just deal with it' to make him happy," Loki denied. "That's not the way that works at all. But if you honestly want to become a more experienced sub... we can help you with that."

"Only if _you_ want to, though," Natasha said. "It's not something to jump into just because someone else wants you to be that way. There are a lot more complexities to all this than can be explained in one conversation. Has your boyfriend even sat down and talked to you about this sort of thing before?"

Amora shifted in her seat and fiddled with her wine glass. "We... well, we had this contract thing, and we talked about that."

"Okay, well, that's something," Natasha muttered. "How did that go?"

"Um... alright?" Amora said uneasily. "I kind of wasn't sure what some of it was still, and we argued about some things."

"So, you spoke about nothing before that. He just gave you this contract thing, and that was that?" Loki asked.

"Well, he gave me a couple websites to look at, so that I could do some research," Amora said. "But... I felt kind of awkward reading about all that stuff, so it was hard. And some of it didn't make any sense. You explain things a lot better than reading about it did, Loki."

Loki hummed thoughtfully. "Some things are just easier to understand when explained verbally. But, it should be sort of telling that you're more comfortable asking _me_ about sex acts than you are asking your boyfriend, Amora. If you can't even talk to him about them... how are you supposed to be comfortable doing them with him?"

Amora didn't seem to have an answer for that. "Think about what we've said, Amora," Natasha said. "It isn't healthy for either of you if _you_ are the sole thing that he improves himself for. It puts incredible pressure on you, and it doesn't give him clear enough goals for his own improvement."

"I got clean because I wanted to be better for the kids," Loki said. "But I didn't want to die in a gutter either, and that was a huge part of my decision. If it had just been for the kids, well, I might have headed back to the drugs once the kids got older. The whole point of getting clean for them would have been gone once they got old enough to take care of themselves. But because it wasn't just for them that I did it... I don't have much desire to go back to that."

"Maybe you should give yourself some time away from him for a bit," Natasha offered. "Just, go on a road trip for a weekend or something. Get everything straight in your head and work through all your thoughts. See if this relationship is really what you want or if you're just caught up in the whirlwind of it."

"I'm not sure where to go to do that," Amora said.

"You have family somewhere?" Loki asked.

"Yeah. I have a cousin in Germany," Amora said. "But it's kind of expensive to fly to Germany just for a weekend."

"True... maybe it would be better just to get a hotel somewhere and turn off your phone," Loki suggested. "Just leave him a note and say you'll talk to him Monday."

Natasha nodded in agreement. "I like that idea."

Amora sighed and slumped back against the couch. "You're probably right. I haven't really slowed down since we got back together. It's just been one thing after another."

Loki nodded. "No harm comes from making sure you've thought things through," he said. "Now... we missed most of the shirtless men in this movie... We need another one."

"That movie Troy has lots of pretty men in it doesn't it?" Natasha asked. "I've only seen it maybe once."

"I don't think I have that," Loki said. "Oh. I've got it." Loki got up and went over to the cardboard box full of random movies that he'd gotten for cheap from a used DVD bin. He dug around for a moment before picking up some foreign flick. "There are ridiculously pretty people in this. Doesn't even matter what they're saying," he said as he pressed the button to open the DVD player.

After he got the next movie playing, Loki retook his seat on the couch. Loki allowed the movie to go on for a while with the occasional comment on the general attractiveness of the various actors and actresses. Finally, Loki decided to broach the other topic of conversation he really wanted to get to the bottom of tonight. "So, what did the doctors say, Tasha?"

Natasha glanced over. "I told you, I haven't gotten the results back yet."

"Mmhmm," Loki said. "But considering how long it's been and the fact that most tests take only a few days from what I've read... I've got to wonder if you're telling me the truth or not." Loki looked over at Natasha as he swirled his wine in his glass. "Talk to me, Tasha. What's going on?"

Natasha frowned before sighing heavily. "It's not anything that bad," she said after several minutes.

"Then why aren't you telling me what's the matter?" Loki asked.

"It's not cancer, so it's fine," Natasha said.

Loki hummed and took a sip of his wine. "That is good," he said. "Did they find out what it actually was?"

Natasha sighed. "You're not going to let this go are you?"

"No," Loki said.

"I don't really wanna talk about it, Loki," Natasha said.

"I get that," Loki said. "But I think you might need to. And really, who else are you going to talk to about it?"

Natasha made a face at that and studied the wine in her glass. Loki just waited for her to realize that he was right. Finally, Natasha sighed and looked over at Loki again. "The doctors said it's something called Fibroids or something like that. I have a whole packet on it. But it's benign so everything'll be fine," Natasha said. "There are a couple different treatments."

"Treatments such as?"

"Hormones, cutting off the blood supply to the stupid things, surgery... maybe a hysterectomy if it's bad enough," Natasha said although her voice got a lot softer near the end. "We're going over the options still."

Loki studied Natasha for several moments. "I see. Well, it's a good thing that there are treatments at all and it's just a matter of picking the right one," Loki said. He knew that Natasha wanted kids at some point, so she probably didn't like the idea of possibly having to have a hysterectomy, but at least other things could be tried first. "I'm sure everything will work out, Tasha." Natasha nodded and finished off her glass of wine.

After several long minutes, Loki decided to ease the mood again because things were just far too depressing. "Why aren't more of these people naked?"

There was a moment of silence before Natasha chuckled. "Pervert."

"Proud of it."


	24. Chapter 24

It was so very surreal watching the press conference and watching Tony Stark basically throw the world into a tizzy. Loki couldn't care less what Tony did with his company and knew well enough to realize that though they were infamous for their weapons manufacturing that wasn't the only thing that they did. They were also a cutting edge tech company. No, Loki wasn't in the least concerned about that. What had caught his attention was the state of the billionaire during the conference.

Tony looked very rough, but Loki supposed that was to be expected after having been held captive for three months in a desert hell hole. Loki wasn't one to get attached to his Johns, but Tony had been kind to him. Even going so far as to make sure that Loki was fed each time they got together. Loki couldn't help but dislike the visible bandages and bruises that still adorned Tony's skin.

Tony disappeared again after that initial press conference. The world was still going crazy, but Tony Stark had said his piece and disappeared, presumably to finish healing after his ordeal. Loki had the urge to go check on the man but knew that wouldn't work out. He wasn't even sure where Tony would be. Surely he had a hospital room somewhere? Perhaps it was a private one? Or maybe he'd gone to a remote home where he could recover in peace and quiet? Loki had no evidence of anything one way or the other so just waltzing across the street to Stark Tower would most likely end badly.

Which was why, about a month after Tony Stark's now infamous press conference, Loki was so surprised to see Tony Stark just casually walking around. Well, perhaps not so casually. There was a sort of odd tension in his shoulders as he mingled with other rich men and women in fancy clothes. Loki was at the charity function with one of his now usual clients. Loki made a quick excuse to his date and slipped away from his side. The man had been babbling on to a business associate about government sanctions for about ten minutes and showed no signs of stopping anytime soon. Loki doubted he'd be missed.

Loki kept on the periphery of Tony's little bubble of people greeting him until he managed to catch the billionaire's eye. With a slight tilt of his head, Loki indicated the buffet and then made his way to get a drink. Loki did wonder if Tony recognized him and would come over. Loki was currently dressed to the nines, but passing for a woman since his current client was so far in the closet as to curve all the way back around to stating he was straight. Not that Loki didn't pull it off. He knew plenty of Queens and Trans people from his circuits in various sex worker hangouts and with their help and that of Natasha's it wasn't so hard to put together a convincing feminine appearance.

Loki was just sipping at his martini when Tony came up as well and ordered a drink of his own. Loki stepped off to the side to where there was a little sheltered alcove beside some sizeable potted plant. Loki was pleased when Tony followed him with his whiskey in his hand. "You look familiar," Tony said, letting his eyes wander up and down Loki's sleek black dress and dark green accents.

"Well, I should hope so considering you've fucked me twice," Loki said with amusement.

Tony frowned and leaned a little closer. "... Loki?" Loki smirked. "Holy fuck, you are convincing in a dress."

"Yes, well, what the client wants the client gets, and this client would like to pretend he's not going to end up with another man's legs wrapped around him sometime tonight," Loki said as he swirled his drink carefully in his glass.

"... Happy said you weren't where he usually picks you up. I was worried," Tony said.

Loki was more than a little surprised to hear that. Tony actually looking for him specifically hadn't ever crossed his mind as a possibility. Men like Tony could have practically anyone that they wanted, so why would he fixate on Loki of all people? But, Loki was also incredibly touched. He couldn't remember the last time someone not inside his small inner circle worried about him. "My apartment building burned down," Loki explained softly. "Changed my situation a bit."

Tony looked at Loki carefully. "Changed in that you're now doing drag at high society events?"

"SHIELD signed me," Loki said. "And they are very adamant about customer service. So, yes, when it calls for it, I'll dress in drag at whatever event is required. I don't always, though."

Tony was quiet for a moment before nodding. "Well, I'm glad you got the in you were looking for. Sorry, I couldn't help you out with it."

"Don't be sorry," Loki said. "You had understandable preoccupations at the time." There was an awkward silence between them for a moment as the conversation veered a little too close to dangerous territory. Still, Loki couldn't just not say what was on his mind. "I'm glad that you're back. I was worried too."

"Worried?" Tony echoed.

"Yes, is that so strange?" Loki asked. "Both times we were together you were good to me. And you're not some dumb trust fund heir. You even made me break my near lifelong dismissal of the power of prayer."

Tony looked even more shocked. "Are you saying you prayed for me?"

Loki shrugged, trying to play off how embarrassed he was to have said that out loud. He wasn't a religious person and definitely didn't want to put off the impression of being one. "I figured it couldn't honestly hurt and every little bit, right?"

"... right," Tony said. That silence was back again, and Loki sipped at his drink to help feel less like a fool. "You clean up good," Tony said, thankfully switching topics to something less awkward.

"I dirty up good too," Loki said with a smirk. "But then you already knew that."

"I do," Tony agreed. "And now that I know where I can find you again, I might just have to dirty you up again."

Loki's smirk widened into a smile. "By all means, Tony. Call me up. But, I suppose I need to get back to my current client before he starts wondering where I am. Be the attentive arm candy he paid so much for."

"And the vultures are probably looking for me," Tony said with a heavy sigh. "Pepper will kill me if I duck out too early, so I guess I'll catch up with you later."

"Please do," Loki said before leaning forward to give Tony a kiss on the cheek. "I'll welcome you home properly when we do," he whispered against Tony's ear. He was glad to feel the other man shiver. Loki smirked and pulled back. He offered Tony a wink before going back to his actual date for the evening.

The rest of the party was terribly dull and even going home with his client and getting his dress hiked up while the man went to town on his ass was rather uninteresting. It took a very special lay to really get Loki's attention, after all. Most men were fine, but Loki had too much experience to be easily impressed, so he went through the motions usually. He told his client how good he was and everything else he wanted to hear before cleaning up and heading home.

Well, to the SHIELD building. Natasha and Loki were both looking all over for apartments or perhaps a house if they could swing one. SHIELD accommodations were supposed to be temporary, after all, and Loki didn't want to find out after the fact that they were actually going to be billed for rent or something if they didn't get out quickly. At least the increase in income opened up some possibilities for them.

Loki was not particularly surprised but very pleased when, two days after the charity event, Coulson called to tell him that Tony Stark had specifically requested him for a night. Coulson seemed a little baffled but simply gave Loki the details of the date that had been set for the next night. Loki flipped through the papers and was not particularly surprised when the appointment just said to meet Tony at Stark Tower at nine and little else. There were even directions to the place as if the Tower wasn't directly across the intersection.

Loki dressed in a suit opposed to the drag Tony had last seen him in or the leather and netting that they'd first met in. The suit had been Loki's first real investment after getting his first check. The pure black fabric had been tailored to him to within an inch of its life and looked utterly fantastic.

After getting dressed Loki just walked across the street to Stark Tower and told the receptionist he was there for an appointment with Mr. Stark. She didn't seem as if she believed him but after a few moments speaking into her headset, she let Loki take a special elevator up to the penthouse. Loki hadn't realized that the lift in the garage had more stops then just the one at the top, but he quickly realized that was the one he'd been in when the doors opened and revealed the same pristine white couches that Loki had first given Tony a blow job on.

"Hello again, sir," the disembodied voice of Jarvis greeted.

"Hello, Jarvis," Loki said as he entered the living room. "How is everything?"

"Operating within normal parameters, of course," Jarvis replied. "Mr. Stark will be joining you momentarily."

Loki smiled and made his way over to the bar. Just as Loki was finishing pouring the drinks that he and Tony usually shared he heard the door open. Looking over his shoulder, Loki saw Tony standing there in a black hoodie and jeans. "I feel underdressed," Tony said.

"Don't worry," Loki said as he took the drink over to Tony. "I just didn't think you'd want to deal with the scandal of having me show up in the clothes we first met in."

Tony seemed to think about that for a moment and then shrugged. "Not like I've never had a scandal before," he said.

"No, that would be a severe understatement," Loki said as he held out one glass.

"Ah... could you put it down?" Tony asked. "I... handing me things is sort of a... I'd rather you didn't," he explained haltingly.

Loki was a little surprised but just put the drink down on the coffee table. Tony quickly picked it up from there and took a long sip. "Thanks for coming," Tony said as he sat down on the couch.

"I wouldn't ever turn you down, Tony," Loki said as he took the seat beside the billionaire.

"Oh no?"

Loki shook his head despite the skeptical look he was getting. "No. I've enjoyed our time together far too much to turn down more a chance to experience more of it."

Tony made a thoughtful noise and then sipped at his drink. "I'm not sure how much fun I'll be this time around," he finally said. "I'm still not quite feeling like myself even though I've been back for weeks already."

"You've been through a lot," Loki said. "That sort of thing changes you, but you've survived it. And that is more than some can say. Rushing yourself to try and be 'normal' won't help anyone. Just let it come naturally, or as naturally as it can."

Again, Tony was unusually quiet as he sipped at his whiskey. Loki wasn't used to a quiet Tony, but let the man have his time. He had no idea what could be going through Tony's head at the moment and assuming would most likely blow up in Loki's face. Luckily, this time the silence wasn't awkward between them; instead, it was thoughtful. Loki didn't feel any need to break it.

Tony slowly finished off his glass and then put it down on the table. He took Loki's hand and gently pulled him up off the couch. Loki raised an eyebrow but downed the last of his drink and then followed. He wasn't particularly surprised to be led to Tony's bedroom, which looked utterly unslept in for the entire time Tony had been back. Loki did, however, notice quite a few empty liquor bottles scattered around the room. 

Before Loki could comment on the number of empties hanging around, Tony turned and caught Loki by the front of his jacket and pulled hard. Loki was unprepared for that and couldn't catch himself before Tony's mouth slotted over Loki's. Loki's rule was to of course never kiss on the mouth, but Tony seemed so incredibly desperate at that moment that Loki just wrapped his arms around the shorter man and held him close as they kissed. Tony seemed to be trying to rob all the air from Loki's mouth and lungs as their tongues and teeth clashed. Loki could taste far more alcohol than the one drink would account for but was too busy sucking on the tongue invading his mouth to say much about it.

After several moments, Tony pulled back, panting slightly and eyes blow wide. "I need..."

Loki brushed Tony's hair back from his face. "What?" he asked. "What do you need?"

Tony hesitated another moment, his eyes skittering off to the side. Loki waited, though his hand on Tony's back rubbed comfortingly. Tony looked back at Loki with a strange determination. "Make me feel alive again."

"... I understand," Loki said. "Let's get these clothes off. Then I'll remind you what living is really like."

Tony swallowed hard. "Promise?"

"Darling, you'll be soaring you'll feel so alive," Loki said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess what's coming next chapter... that's right.... a pizza party. Yup.
> 
> I kid of course.


	25. Chapter 25

Loki guided Tony over to the bed and had him sit there on the edge before backing away slightly and shedding the blazer of his suit. "You just relax for now," Loki said as he tossed the jacket onto a chair shoved crookedly into a corner. "Jarvis? Could we have a bit of music, please?" There was a small noise that seemed like a sort of acknowledgement and then a sultry beat started up which wouldn't have been even a little out of place in a smoky jazz bar.

Loki smirked and started slowly undoing the rest of his clothes. He loosened his tie and brought it out from under the collar before his fingers went to the buttons of his shirt. Tony was watching avidly as Loki slowly opened more and more of his shirt. Loki allowed his hips to move more than necessary as he pulled his shirt out from beneath his trousers and then rolled his whole body opposed to just his shoulders as the shirt fluttered down behind him carelessly.

Tony had his hands tightly gripping his knees, and Loki sauntered closer in time with the music. Loki deliberately leaned against the bed right beside Tony as he pulled his foot up to undo his shoes. The polished loafers were carelessly discarded as Tony visibly swallowed. Loki pressed a kiss to the pulse point in Tony's neck and licked his way up to Tony's ear. "Relax, Tony. Just enjoy it."

Loki shifted to lean across Tony's other side as he discarded the second shoe and pressed yet another gentle kiss to Tony's neck before straightening. Loki didn't back away and kept rolling his hips as he undid his belt and fly. Tony reached out and took hold of Loki's hips to pull him closer. Loki was a little surprised but just ran his fingers through Tony's dark hair as Tony licked the edge of Loki's abs.

Tony's hands slid under the loosened waistband of Loki's pants and pushed just enough to make them fall to the ground, leaving Loki standing there in just his emerald green tie. Tony tugged on the bottom of the tie with two fingers and looked up at Loki. "Why leave this on?" he asked as his other hand gripped Loki's hip.

"I thought you might like it is all," Loki said as his fingers carded through Tony's hair.

Tony hummed at that and used the grip on the tie to pull Loki down. Loki bent over without hesitation and allowed yet another breach of his no kissing rule. He really shouldn't, but Tony was good to him and seemed to need the added intimacy despite how bad an idea it probably was for Loki to allow it. Their tongues clashed with slightly less desperation than they had the first kiss and Loki found himself sliding into Tony's lap to make the angle deeper and more comfortable.

The music was still playing, and so Loki started rocking his hips and grinding his ass against the growing bulge in Tony's pants. Tony's grip on Loki's hips tightened even as Loki wrapped one arm around Tony's neck to better kiss the billionaire. Tony's mouth pressed hard against Loki's, and he nipped at Loki's lips whenever they pulled apart just enough to get some fresh oxygen before reigniting the kiss.

Loki rocked his body against Tony's, not caring that the rough feel of the denim was anything but comfortable against his sensitive bits. Tony's hands slid down from Loki's hips to cup his backside and pry his cheeks apart. Loki couldn't stop from gasping as Tony sunk two of his fingers into Loki's hole. Tony took the chance to attack Loki's neck with kisses and bites that would no doubt leave marks later. Loki groaned and tightened his fingers in Tony's hair as he rocked back against Tony's hand only to shift to press against Tony's still hidden erection as best he could.

Loki reached down between them with his free hand and undid Tony's jeans. The billionaire's cock was thick and hot in Loki's palm as he pulled it free from Tony's boxers and jeans. "So hard already," Loki breathed as he slid his hand up and down it. "Your cock is always so fantastic."

Tony groaned at that and craned his head to bite the chain of Loki's earring that he hadn't thought to switch out. Tony lightly tugged on the chain of Loki's earring while pressing his fingers in deeper. "Talk more," Tony managed to say despite his mouth being busy. "I wanna hear it."

"You wanna hear it?" Loki echoed. He'd already known that Tony liked his dirty talk, but Tony hadn't requested it before. That was a little odd but not something Loki had a problem doing. "You want to hear how your big beautiful dick is going to break my ass?" he asked. "Or maybe you want me to worship it with words about how amazing it is before using my tongue to bring you over again and again?"

Tony's hips twitched, and Loki tilted his head to mouth his way along Tony's jaw. "Or maybe you want both?" he asked huskily. "Shall I talk about how your cock is almost as big as your beautiful brain? Or maybe how nicely it fills my mouth. I can barely breathe around it when I sucked on it before. My lips I thought would crack from how thick you are. I remember tasting every single inch of skin on my tongue and how hot your cum was when you finished."

Tony let out a noise almost like a whimper and Loki could feel pre starting to weep from the tip of Tony's length. Before Loki could unleash more dirty compliments about Tony's manhood and prowess, Tony curled his fingers just right, and Loki couldn't stop the little cry of surprise. "Like that?" Tony asked as he thrust into that spot again to get a similar reaction. "Hmm?" he asked when Loki didn't immediately answer.

"Yes," Loki breathed.

"Tell me how much you like it," Tony said.

Loki groaned as Tony's fingers moved with almost an annoying amount of accuracy. "A lot," Loki said. "I like you fingering me right there. You're so good at hitting that spot."

Loki could feel Tony's smile against his skin. "I'm glad," he said so softly that Loki only barely heard it. And Loki didn't have a chance to respond to it before Tony nipped at his neck. "Tell me what it feels like."

"Like... pressure," Loki attempted to explain even as Tony kept prodding and rubbing that spot. "Building each time everywhere... and when you touch it too much, it's like... raw nerves sending... sharp bursts of sensation through my body."

Tony pressed his fingers deeper so that he could rub that spot even harder and Loki gasped aloud. "Do you want me to fuck you now, Loki?" Tony asked. "I've wanted you for days."

Again Loki was surprised to hear something like that but as he stroked Tony's cock he didn't think now was the time to bring it up. "Yes, Tony," Loki said as his free hand slid under the black hoodie that Tony was still wearing. "Yes, fuck me now. Make my ass so loose nobody but you will be able to fit right. Make me a screaming mess for you."

Tony groaned and managed to move them while also turning so that Loki was pinned to the bed with Tony between his legs. "You asked for it," Tony nearly growled as he pulled his fingers back. Loki went to pull off Tony's hoodie, but his hands were quickly caught. "Leave it on."

Loki looked up in surprise, but the oddly serious expression on Tony's face had Loki nodding in agreement. It wasn't a big deal although Loki couldn't help but wonder why Tony wanted the hoodie to be left on. Tony reached over to the side table and grabbed a bottle of lube. Loki craned his head to kiss along Tony's neck, which was stiff with tension that hadn't been there before. "Fuck me, Tony," Loki whispered in his best bedroom voice. "Fuck me until neither of us remembers anything else."

Tony glanced at Loki for a moment before nodding and spreading a quick layer of lube on his own cock. Tony pressed forward, holding Loki's hips still with his hands as his erection inched its way into Loki's practiced backside. Loki wrapped his arm around Tony's neck again even as he felt Tony's hips pushing into his backside. "God. You always feel so good," Tony panted as he ducked his head to rest on Loki's chest. "Even better now."

Loki ran his fingers through Tony's hair again before starting to rock his hips in time with the jazzy music playing in the background. "Come on, Tony," Loki coaxed. "Your thick cock is stretching me so wide already... don't tease me by just sitting still."

"You're so hot..." Tony said as he started moving along with Loki.

"You've never fucked me raw before," Loki pointed out. "Or are you saying in general?"

"Both," Tony said as he slowly started speeding up. Loki laughed, but that was quickly driven from him when Tony gave a particularly hard thrust. "Keep talking," Tony said.

"You want me to praise you as -ah- as you fuck me? Is that it?" Loki asked as Tony's mouth found the taller man's pulse and bit down hard enough to bruise but not break the skin. Tony didn't answer, but Loki decided to take the non-answer as a yes. "Ah! Tony! You're so good! Yes! Harder! Just like that!"

Tony moaned into the crook of Loki's shoulder. Loki kept saying whatever dirty things came to his mind as Tony focused on driving his hips into Loki over and over again. The bed creaked beneath them, and Loki was sure that his neck and shoulders would look more like leopard print than his normal skin from all the hickeys.

Tony's jeans were uncomfortably rough against the sensitive skin of Loki's thighs, but then that was taken care of when Tony hooked Loki's legs up over his arms so that he could nearly fold the taller man in half to thrust harder and deeper. "Yes! Tony! You feel so good fucking my ass! Faster!"

Loki writhed beneath Tony as he tried to move with the billionaire but found himself very well pinned down. Tony murmured something into Loki's neck that the escort couldn't actually make out over the sounds of sweaty flesh slapping together over and over and his own lewd words. Tony kept thrusting at a pace that seemed almost desperate, and Loki urged Tony for more.

After some time, Tony came to pause still buried deep inside of Loki's thrumming body and panting hard. "Tony?" Loki asked brushing the brunette's hair back. Loki hadn't anticipated Tony to stop at any point what with how hard he had been going. Tony didn't say anything at first and just continued to pant into Loki's chest. "Should I take over?" Loki asked after a moment.

Tony shook his head. "No. Just... roll over."

Loki obediently rolled onto his front after Tony slid his cock out and canted his hips upwards so that his ass was offered up invitingly. There was a rustle of fabric and Loki saw the black hoodie land on the bed beside him. There was also an odd... glow? Loki wasn't at all sure where that was coming from. "Keep looking that way," Tony said as he grasped Loki's hips again. "And talking."

"Whatever you want," Loki said. Tony dribbled fresh lube onto Loki's hole, and Loki couldn't quite help but shiver at the sensation and the sudden cooler temperature. "My hole must be so open already... fill it again with your amazing cock, Tony." Tony did as Loki said and quickly went back to fucking Loki hard and fast into the mattress.

Loki parted his legs to make things easier as Tony took him from behind. "That's right," Loki said as he rocked back to make their bodies collide even harder. "Give me everything, Tony. Make it so that you're the only one I think about when I'm being fucked."

Tony groaned and bit down on Loki's shoulder before sucking the spot even as his hips jerked hard and fast. The new position had Loki's erection rubbing against the sheets with every thrust, which made it incredibly hard to focus on anything else.

Tony's hands wandered away from Loki's hips even as maintained his pace. That glow was still filling the room, but Loki barely had any time to notice it much less ponder it as he tried to do whatever it was Tony needed. Loki perked his backside up higher so that his own cock wouldn't be rubbed against the sheets as much because if that continued, he might just lose it. Tony didn't seem to mind and retook hold of Loki's hips to slam forward hard enough to make Loki cry out.

After a while of taking Loki from behind, Tony pulled one long leg up higher to spread Loki out further. Loki was a bit surprised but willingly turned his torso enough that he could manage to hook his left leg over Tony's shoulder. "Tony -ah- you're -ha- your cock is amazing!" Loki gasped as Tony slammed his hips up into the new position to get as deep as he could manage.

Loki was tempted to look down at Tony but remembered that Tony didn't seem to want his eyes on his body at the moment and regretfully buried his face in the damp sheets beneath him. Loki cried out louder than before as Tony made seemingly the whole bed jerk.

"Touch yourself," Tony said after several minutes of just pounding Loki.

Loki lowered a hand to his aching length and started running his sweat-damp palm up and down it. Tony groaned, and his hips sped up. "I'm so close," Loki told Tony. "My cock is so full and aching. I want to cum so bad."

"Then jerk off," Tony said.

"You want me to?" Loki asked even as his hand continued to stroke himself. "You want to see me masturbating while you -ah- while you fuck my ass raw with your -ha- your cock?"

Tony made a noise somewhere between a moan and a growl as he continued to jerk his hips forward into Loki. Loki gasped and started stroking himself faster. "It feels so good," Loki said. "Tony!"

Loki knew his own body well enough that it only took him a few moments of stroking himself to get to the edge. Tony's rhythm was starting to falter as he too got closer to his climax. "Come on, Tony," Loki coaxed as he slowed his own hand. "You're so close, baby. Just -ah- little more. Ah! Fill me up with -mh- all your hot cum. Make it s-so I can't ever -ha- get you out of me."

Tony's hips jerked forward even more erratically at Loki's encouragement. Not more than half a dozen thrusts later, Tony was letting out a loud noise somewhere between a shout of pleasure and an almost pained moan. Loki could feel the heat spreading deep inside of him as Tony came and focused on his own cock. Only a few more strokes of Loki's skilled hand had him cumming all over Tony's sheets with a cry of his own.

The two of them didn't move for a moment, just catching their breath as the sweat rolled down their bodies. Tony waited until he had softened to pull his cock free from Loki's hole and immediately reached for his hoodie again. "Keep catching your breath," Tony said as he kept the sweatshirt over the majority of his chest. "I'm going to wash up."

Loki nodded in understanding even as he watched the still half-clothed billionaire go into the bathroom. That wasn't at all Tony's typical behavior from the last two times they were together, but considering what Tony had been through, maybe that was understandable. Loki heard the shower going after a minute and slowly sat up in the bed. His ass was throbbing from the frantic pace that Tony had set, but Loki didn't think he'd be too sore in the morning.

What Loki was slightly more concerned with was whether or not Tony was alright. He didn't seem to be, but also Loki hadn't been that close to the man in the first place, so he didn't know how good a judge of Tony's normal was. Loki would just have to play the rest of the night by ear.


	26. Chapter 26

As Tony was in the bathroom, Loki got to his feet and looked for something to wear. Only a moment of searching and Loki had found a robe discarded on the back of a chair and slipped it on. He wasn't sure how long Tony was going to take, but Loki was not yet tired enough to sleep. Loki made his way into the kitchen to get himself some water since at the very least he should replenish some of the fluids he'd lost with Tony.

Loki leaned back against the counter as he sipped his water and thought. Since Tony wasn't himself their night hadn't progressed quite like how Loki thought it would from the previous two times they'd been together. Tony clearly needed more comfort, but Loki wasn't entirely sure how to go about giving it. Having sex, no matter how good that sex was, would only do so much.

A thought occurred to Loki after a minute. "Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Would I be allowed to use Tony's kitchen?"

"By all means, sir," Jarvis said.

Loki went to the refrigerator and opened the door to look inside. There wasn't a whole lot inside but leftover take out and some disparate things that didn't really form an entire meal. Or at least, it wouldn't if Loki wasn't used to putting meals together out of whatever random things he had left after the kids were through with his pantry. It was not going to be his best meal, but Loki was certain he'd make something passable.

As Loki was heating up some chicken from leftover Chinese, he heard the shower turn off. He was still in the kitchen when Tony came in, his hair still wet but wearing fresh clothes. "Are you cooking?"

"I am," Loki confirmed as he shifted the pieces of chicken in the skillet he was using. "We could both use something to eat, I thought."

"Huh. For some reason I didn't really picture you as a cook," Tony admitted.

"Well, I can manage," Loki said. "Home cooking tends to be more satisfying even if there isn't as much of it. Or, at least, that's what I've found. Plus it's so much cheaper."

Tony nodded. "Good points. But, uh, what even do I have to cook?"

"Not much," Loki said. "But I think I've figured out something. You barely touched this Chinese orange chicken."

"Ah, yeah, I got distracted," Tony said. "I do that a lot while I'm working."

Loki glanced over his shoulder at Tony. "Trying to find yourself a new market now that you're not making weapons?"

"I've got other markets," Tony said as he went over to his bar to pour himself a drink. "But I've got some new thoughts about clean energy that I want to make viable."

"Clean energy. That's a good market to get into right now," Loki said. "It's growing and if there are any advancements to be made it'll get you ahead of the curve."

Tony made a noise. "You really are a puzzle, Loki. I don't know too many people -no matter where they're from- that pay attention to things like that. Not unless I've employed them to do it."

Loki shrugged. "I'm very good at picking up things that I hear around me. and lately I've been around people that discuss their business more often, and their business tends to be a bit different than my previous clients," Loki said as he got a few plates out of the cabinet he'd found them in a while looking for a glass. "Besides, it's just wise to know where the money is going in the world."

"Are you sure you're not a corporate spy?" Tony asked. "I mean, I checked and all but I didn't find much, so it's still possible..."

Loki laughed and slid a plate across the island to where Tony was standing. "I'm not although if I were to ever go into such a field, my current profession would be a perfect cover for it."

"Oh, that's comforting," Tony said.

"But I'm not," Loki said as he went around to take a seat at the bar. "Now, let's eat something since we haven't yet, and you can ramble to me about whatever you want."

Tony chuckled a little. "Who says I want to ramble about anything?"

"Mm, nobody really. But, if you'd like, I'm an excellent listener," Loki said.

"I'm sure you are, but I'm fine," Tony said before picking up his fork and spearing some pieces of chicken and then stuffing them in his mouth pointedly.

Loki felt his eyebrow go up but didn't say anything. Instead, he just set about eating his own meal. "Ya know," Tony said after a minute. "I know this is mostly reheated leftovers... but it's actually not bad. It's spicier than the orange chicken was."

"That's because I added some spices to it," Loki said. "When you reheat things I find it sometimes loses some of the flavor, so I always put a little extra on any leftovers."

Tony hummed thoughtfully. "And it's all crunchy instead of soggy because..."

"Because I didn't use a microwave to do it," Loki said with a laugh. "My old microwave was... unreliable to put it mildly. It heated everything unevenly. So I got into the habit of using the stove instead."

"So where are you living now? You said your building burned down?"

Loki nodded. "Yes. Right now Shield has me in temporary housing, but I'm looking for a place with a friend of mine. Maybe even a house if we can find one within our budget," Loki said. "There are a few possibilities but since we'd be paying in cash that's becoming a bit of a hindrance."

"I would think so," Tony said. "I don't know of too many places or people that would sell a house to someone without a social security number. It looks kinda shady."

"Pardon the interruption, sir, but Miss Potts is on the line for you," Jarvis said. "She says it involves your current project."

"Put her through, J." Tony only waited a minute before starting to talk again, "Hey, Pepper, give me some good news."

"Well, I arranged for all the people on your list to see you. The only downside is... the only time we had available for everyone is this next week and a half. I've managed to break it up into a few smaller get-togethers and events, but it looks like your schedule is pretty much booked until next weekend," Pepper said.

Tony frowned. "But you have to go to our offices in Sweden for that thing this week, don't you? To train the new person handling the European division?"

"Yes," Pepper said. "And I would push that back except we've already done that three times and we really can't afford to have him winging it for too much longer. Especially with the change in corporate image that we're doing."

Loki watched with interest as Tony threw back what remained of his drink and then headed over to the wet bar to make himself another. "You want me to try and handle these get-togethers with nobody running interference at all?" Tony asked. "Who will come and give me messages that don't exist so I can get out of conversations if you're not around, Pep?"

Pepper sighed. "I can give instructions to Melissa, and she can fill in for me."

Tony made a displeased face at that. "Melissa? No. I don't want her around me. She wears way too much of that fake flower perfume. Makes me cough all over the place."

"Well, then you'll have to find other ready-made excuses to dodge people, Tony, because she's the only one besides me that can stand _you_ ," Pepper said.

"People love me," Tony said with a frown.

"Tony. You can be a bit... abrupt at times," Pepper said. "And you do tend to push people's buttons."

Loki watched and put another bit of chicken in his mouth as Tony seemed to debate that mentally. After a minute, Tony sighed. "Alright, but not Melissa. If I can't breathe, I can't schmooze."

"Hold your breath?" Pepper offered.

"You're no help," Tony said.

"Uh huh," Pepper said dryly. "I, the person who is training the head of an entire division of your company for you, am no help. Look, Tony, if you want help with your business partners and what not, then you either have to wait until things can get rescheduled for me to be there, use Melissa, or find someone else."

Tony's frown got deeper. "Someone else..." Tony's eyes moved over to Loki, who raised his eyebrow at the thoughtful look the billionaire was wearing. "Hey, Pep... I think I have an idea."

"You have an idea," Pepper repeated. "Is it an idea I'm going to like?"

"Maybe," Tony said. "I'll call you back."

There was a long moment of silence in the apartment. "How many of those fancy events have you worked, Loki?" Tony asked.

"About ten now," Loki answered. "You thinking of hiring me?"

"Maybe. How much would it be for two weeks of you being here?" Tony asked.

Loki leaned back on his stool and thought for a minute. "Thirty grand," Loki said after a moment.

"Thirty?" Tony echoed. "How did you come to thirty? It was a grand a night before."

"It wasn't as exclusive a contract, so I doubled it," Loki said.

Tony narrowed his eyes. "That's still just twenty-eight grand."

"I rounded up," Loki said.

"You sure I'll pay that?" Tony asked.

"I'm sure you don't want to go to those parties alone."

There was a stretch of silence as Tony and Loki looked at each other. Finally Tony sighed. "Fuck, you're tough. Fine. Thirty it is. You have another suit?"

Loki snorted. "No. That one cost me too much for me to get two."

Tony nodded. "Then we'll have to get you at least one more. And something not for a more casual setting. Pepper's probably put together a couple different kinds of parties."

"Then I'm going to need a clothing allowance," Loki said.

"How about an advance instead?" Tony asked.

"Considering I need to have these clothes to be your arm candy, I think it only fair you buy them," Loki said lightly. "Or, I could just wear the same suit over and over again. Your choice."

Tony chuckled. "Alright, alright. I'll give you my card. That should handle whatever you need."

"A wise choice," Loki said with a grin.

"You're kind of a brat, you know that?"

"So I've been told," Loki said without taking offense. "But it does tend to get me what I want so, really, there's no incentive to stop now is there?"

Tony shook his head and sat back down. "You going to be alright sleeping in my room with me or would you be more comfortable in a spare room?" Tony asked. "It's up to you, I don't want to cross some line or something."

Loki frowned a little. "I don't imagine we'll be doing much sleeping at all, Tony."

"We can't have sex all the time. Even I can't work on caffeine and adrenaline alone for a week and a half," Tony said before taking a sip of his fresh drink.

Suddenly, it clicked in Loki's head what Tony was talking about. "You want me to stay here too?"

"Well, sure, I mean, wouldn't it be easier that way? Rather than you have to just come back here every day?" Tony asked, looking mildly confused.

Loki supposed there was a grain of sense there, but he couldn't just not go home for two weeks. "I know happy told you about Peter," Loki said.

"Yeah, but he's a teenager. I'm probably a bad example, but I was looking after myself tons by that point. Not that you can't pop in and check on him or anything I just wouldn't think it was necessary you be there all the time," Tony said.

Loki sighed. "... it's not... just Peter I have in my home," Loki admitted.

"He's not?"

"No. There are younger children as well, and I can't just assume that the older kids will take care of the younger ones twenty-four hours a day for two weeks. That wouldn't be fair to them," Loki said. He felt guilty enough about having to leave the teens in charge as much as he did.

Tony stared for several long minutes as if he was trying to figure something out. "Just how many kids do you have, Lokes?"

For some reason, Loki felt like blushing. That was an utterly ridiculous nickname, but Tony had said it so oddly soft. And the question was a little embarrassing too although Loki couldn't figure why since he wasn't remotely regretful or ashamed of the kids. "Currently, there are seven."

Tony's eyes widened. "You took in seven kids?"

"Yes, that is what I said."

"Oh my God... you are like a saint," Tony said. 

Loki scoffed and fought against the heat rising in his cheeks. "Nonsense, I was simply tired of seeing so many get chewed up and spat out by the streets. That's all."

"No. No, you are definitely way too amazing. Like... you're sexy, smart, hell of a good lover, and you adopt seven street kids? You are just... all the things I was not expecting when we first met," Tony said. He was still staring at Loki. "I'm kind of feeling inadequate, I gotta admit. I don't usually feel that way but... yeah. Yeah, I am..."

"Didn't we just meet again for the first time in months at a charity function _you_ were the biggest funder of?" Loki asked. "You do a lot of good with your money."

"I can do more," Tony said with sudden firmness. "I should be doing more. I've been just flinging money at problems without really thinking about it. Not really getting involved with those causes beyond writing checks. There are so many more people I should be helping, but I'm not."

Loki studied Tony thoughtfully. Though Loki hadn't ever thought Tony a bad person or particularly uncaring of the plights of others, this new focus on philanthropy seemed somewhat odd. Stark Industries had routinely been in the news for donations and projects meant to help the less fortunate, but that was always overshadowed by either Tony's own escapades or some new technological breakthrough they'd achieved. For Tony to want to turn more of his resources to helping others, Loki thought was significant of whatever had happened to him overseas. "I think you're too hard on yourself, Tony," Loki said. "One person can't save the world."

"I'm Tony Stark," Tony said. "Sure I can."

Loki shook his head but was a bit amused despite himself. "No wonder people call you arrogant."

"I am arrogant," Tony said. "But with good reason. Now, these kids of yours... I don't see why they can't just stay here with you."

"What?" Loki had expected Tony to drop the subject not double down on his invitation so that it included all seven kids as well. Nobody that Loki knew would do something like that -certainly not a client. "You can't be serious."

"Very serious. I have the room. You want to keep an eye on them. Win-win, I say," Tony said.

Loki rubbed his forehead. "I'm not sure that's actually a win-win. At most a neutral-win," he said. "And from what I've seen you have one bedroom up here."

"I have some empty offices downstairs I can make up real quick into rooms," Tony said with a shrug. "Easy peasy."

"If they're here I won't be inclined to have sex with you at the drop of a hat," Loki warned. He tried very hard to not let that aspect of his life enter into where he lived.

Tony thought about that for a minute. "Well, really what I'm hiring you for is to accompany me to all these events and the sex thing is an unrelated thing between two consenting adults. Isn't that how it's worded in the contracts?"

"... something like that," Loki agreed.

"So, I don't see how that's a problem either," Tony said cheerily. 

Loki wracked his brain for more arguments against the idea, but Tony hadn't seemed phased by anything Loki said. He almost seemed to be getting more eager about the idea if anything. "... are you sure about this, Tony?"

"Very sure. You'll see. It'll be great," Tony said.


	27. Chapter 27

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate writing transition chapters but they really are necessary... bleh. I'm supposing you all can guess as to how this upcoming shopping trip will go if you've seen Pretty Woman, however.

Loki tried to not be too impatient as he waited for Natasha to open her door. It was still early for her, after all, and Loki was pretty sure she'd had a client the night before. There were a few minutes, and then the door opened. Natasha looked ruffled and was frowning. She had on a thin pale lavender robe over her bra and underwear and nothing else. Loki felt he was kind of lucky she'd answered the door with the gown on. "Loki. Do you know what time it is?"

"Two words for you," Loki said, entirely ignoring Natasha's sour look and question. "Thirty. Grand."

Natasha blinked. "What?"

"That's how much Tony Stark is going to pay me for spending two weeks in his penthouse and going to his parties as his arm candy," Loki said as he walked into the apartment. "Add that to the ten you've saved up, and we can put a down payment on a place."

"Not that you aren't worth it... but why is he paying you thirty grand?" Natasha asked as she closed the door and flicked the lock. They didn't really need to be as constantly paranoid about the locks now that they were in a much more secure building, but habits like that were hard to break.

Loki shrugged. "It might have something to do with the fact that that's the price I gave him and he didn't really argue about it too hard," he said. "I had just made him dinner after some pretty furious fucking, so maybe he was in a particularly good mood."

"Well, I suppose that's understandable."

"So, forty in total should get us a place not completely falling down," Loki said as he grabbed a glass and filled it with water in the kitchenette. 

"Well... fifty would be better," Natasha said.

Loki rolled his eyes. More money would always be better "A million would be better, Tasha. We work with what we get."

"So what, you need me to keep an eye on the kids for you?" Natasha asked as she rested her hip against the edge of the counter.

"No," Loki said. "Stark is getting some offices and spare rooms set up for them to stay in at the tower because I wasn't going to make you babysit for two weeks. Three of them. I'm thinking the twins in one, Sleipnir and Peter in another, and the terrible trio in the last one. Should work out pretty well."

"And you're willing to let him be around the kids?" Natasha asked, quite obviously surprised.

Loki sighed and ran a hand through his hair, pulling most of his braid out as he did so. "He doesn't seem so bad a guy. Plus, he seems like a workaholic, so I don't think he's likely to be around them too much."

Natasha still looked a little skeptical but then shrugged. "If you say so, Loki. You're the overprotective daddy of the two of us."

Loki scowled. "I'm not overprotective."

"Yeah, you are," Natasha said with a little laugh. "You're the very picture of overprotective. But if you're sure that Stark won't report you to CPS or something, that's your call."

"I don't think he will," Loki said as he fiddled with the glass in his hand. "But this money will get us somewhere to live, Tasha. I can't pass it up."

Natasha nodded a little. "We're still going to need a social security number or something though. Bribe money at the very least if we do this cash-wise," she pointed out.

"Peter has a social," Loki said thoughtfully. "We could use his."

"You don't have Peter's social security card, though," Natasha said. "Do you?"

Loki was quiet for a moment. "No... but I can probably order a copy. I am technically his foster parent now."

"I'm pretty sure Shield got you that with some payoffs or sexual favors or something," Natasha said.

"I don't much care how they arranged it. They did. And I'll probably owe them something unpleasant later, but for now, I'm going to just take what I can get. But speaking of social programs... I have to go to the hospital today or tomorrow," Loki said. He scowled at the idea. He didn't much like sleeping with May's Doctor as the man just _felt_ wrong to be around. He was too fake, and he had this fascination with his medical instruments that was entirely too unsettling.

"You should find another doctor to deal with May," Natasha said. "One that doesn't make you shudder every time you mention him or her."

"I doubt whoever I got to replace Alal will be willing to pay for a woman's life support in exchange for sex," Loki said. "Not exactly the most ethical practice that."

Natasha shrugged a little but didn't disagree. "Nat?"

Loki turned to see a naked man coming out of the bedroom. Loki felt his eyebrow go up as he shamelessly looked over the shorter man's powerful shoulders, well-sculpted muscles, narrow hips, and thick manhood. The blonde froze and stared in surprise as Loki's eyes went back up to more neutral territory. "Uh, hi," the man said. He obviously hadn't realized that Loki was there, although how he hadn't noticed Loki didn't know as the two escorts hadn't been whispering.

Loki chuckled a bit and indicated the man's naked groin with his head. "Not bad."

Natasha rolled her eyes and pulled off her robe to toss at her naked house guest. "Loki, Clint. Clint, Loki," she said.

Clint covered himself with the robe. It looked somewhat ridiculous, but he didn't seem to notice. "I, uh, I didn't realize you had company."

"No, you probably would have put on pants... or at least boxers," Loki said. "Unless you're not an underwear sort, I suppose."

"That's really not your business," Clint muttered.

Loki chuckled a little and leaned back against the counter. "Was there anything else, Loki?" Natasha asked.

"I think that's about it," Loki said. "We'll be moving over to the tower this afternoon. I would appreciate your help with herding the kids. Maybe you could find a nice rich CEO to flirt with while you're there."

Clint frowned. "Nat doesn't need any more clients," he said.

Loki hummed. "You shouldn't get jealous, Clint. It's not healthy to get attached to people you pay for the things you pay us for." That was the way to either lose a lot of money or for someone to lose their lives. Usually the hooker or escort in the situation. Jealousy was an ugly emotion after all.

"I'm not paying Nat," Clint said. His voice was somewhere between defensive and annoyed.

"You're not?" Loki looked over at Natasha. "Tasha?"

"I'll help you later, Loki. Goodbye," Natasha said as she took him by the shoulder and turned him. Loki raised an eyebrow. 

"Tasha, it sounds like you're getting a bit involved here," Loki whispered as Natasha all but walked him to the door of the apartment. "We're supposed to be smarter than that."

"We are," Natasha said. "I'll explain all that later too. I promise."

Loki hummed, not entirely convinced. "Alright. I hope it's a good explanation, Tasha. I'd hate to have to do an intervention or something."

"You'd be terrible at it anyway," Natasha said. "Now go and make sure the kids aren't starving or something."

Loki chuckled but allowed Natasha to push him out of the apartment and then close the door behind him. Loki glanced at the door and then made his way down the hallway towards his own. Though he might tease, he was happy if Natasha found someone that she wasn't trading her body to for some reason. Although that wasn't necessarily the reason that Natasha wasn't charging Clint. She could be getting something besides money out of it. Either way, Loki was cautious about the idea. He didn't want to see Natasha hurt. She was Loki's best friend and had been there when he'd had nobody else. Loki would make sure that this no payment encounter was no danger to Natasha, but later. When her guest wasn't there and naked.

When Loki opened the door to his apartment, Wanda was standing at the stove cooking something while Pietro was showing some sleight of hand tricks to a very interested looking Peter. Hela was sitting at the counter talking about the latest Disney movie they had just seen a little while ago to Wanda while also coloring a drawing in front of her. "Morning," Loki greeted.

"Loki!" Hela jumped off the chair and ran into his legs. Fenris only just managed to stop the bar stool she'd leapt off of from toppling to the ground. 

"Hela, no jumping off the furniture," Loki chastised as he picked her up.

"Sorry, Loki," Hela said before giving his cheek a kiss. "I drewed you a picture."

"You did? What of?" Loki asked as ruffled a sleepy looking Jormungundr's head as he walked by. Jormungundr didn't even lift his head where it was tucked in his folded arms on the countertop. 

Hela squirmed to reach for the paper and managed to snatch the edge of it. "Elsa," Hela said, holding it a bit too close to Loki's face.

Loki took the paper and held it out enough that he could actually see the picture. It was a coloring book page, and Hela had gone to town on it. "They showed that a new Frozen movie was coming out before the movie we saw the other day," Peter piped up from the couch where he was watching Pietro showing off the cup and ball's scam. Loki should probably put a stop to that... "So now she's back in on that."

"I see," Loki said as shifted Hela's weight on his hip. It had taken Hela several _months_ to stop being obsessed with the first movie and Loki was anticipating a repeat at the news a sequel was going to be released. "It's a very pretty picture, Hela," Loki said. "But why is she blue?" Loki asked as he hung the picture on the fridge door. Loki understood why Elsa's eyes and dress were blue, but he was confident that the character's skin was supposed to be the typical peachy pink of most Disney princesses. Hela, however, had picked a darker blue color to swirl all over her skin.

"I like blue," Hela said simply.

"Mm, well, she's very pretty blue as well," Loki said as he turned and went back to sit on the stool that Hela had abandoned. Loki looked around the apartment. "Where's Sleipnir?"

"Still in the bathroom," Wanda said. "He's been in there for a half hour almost. You might only have cold water for a shower, Loki."

Loki shrugged. "I've already had a shower this morning." He had made sure to get a shower in Tony's fancy smart-shower thing before leaving that morning. It was easier that way, and he was pretty glad for that now that he heard Sleipnir was hogging the shower. "Now, what's for breakfast, Wanda?"

"Little miss requested ham, so we're having omelets so she can have her ham and Peter can have the insane amount of cheese he likes," Wanda said as she glanced over her shoulder. "And so on and so forth."

"I like sister's eggs!" Hela announced. "She makes them yummy."

Loki blinked in surprise, and Wanda almost dropped the pan she was holding. "Your sister, hmm?" Loki asked as he watched Wanda recover and her ears turn bright pink.

"Yep," Hela chirped.

Loki chuckled a little and kissed the top of Hela's head. "I'm glad you and your sister get along so well," Loki said. Wanda's ears grew even pinker, but she seemed to steadfastly refuse to turn around. "Anyway, after breakfast, I want you all to pack up your things."

"Pack?" Fenris repeated. "Why?"

"We're going to be living with a friend of mine for a few weeks," Loki said.

Wanda turned with a frown. "A friend?"

"Like Auntie Nat?" Hela asked.

"Not quite," Loki said. "But he has some extra rooms and will be letting us stay there until we can move into a new house that me and Auntie Nat are going to get us."

"And who is this friend?" Wanda asked as she slid an omelet onto a plate and then started to break some more eggs. "Another, um, Auntie?"

Loki appreciated that Wanda attempted to dodge the subject of what he did. "No. A... client."

"You want us to stay with one of your clients?" Pietro asked. He was suddenly there beside Wanda and Loki swore he hadn't been there a moment before. 

"It's not like that," Loki said. "I doubt you'll ever see him even, and I didn't want you all to be here in the apartment alone." Wanda and Pietro didn't look comforted. "That's why I'm going to be counting on you older ones to make sure that everyone is taken care of and happy," Loki added with a meaningful emphasis. If it were just Loki and the younger kids, he never would have agreed to two weeks living at Stark's tower. But because he also had the teenagers to make sure that nothing untoward happened -which Loki already highly doubted would happen- he was more relaxed about the idea.

Loki could tell that Pietro and Wanda still weren't happy. So he decided to try another tactic. "Please. I need this client, and I would really appreciate your help," Loki told them. If the twins didn't want to go, then Loki wouldn't make them, but it would ease his mind on several fronts if they would. The twins still looked at each other as if sharing some weird nonverbal communication that Loki noticed they seemed to have.

After a moment, Pietro sighed, and Wanda nodded a little. "We'll go and help you watch the others."

"Good. Now, breakfast and then packing -and while you're all packing up I have an errand to run- then I'll take you to our little vacation, and hopefully we'll be settled in before lunch," Loki said. And then Loki had to go and get a new suit for the first of many parties. Before he'd left the penthouse, Jarvis had told Loki there would be a dinner with some of the bigwigs at Tony's company, and if Loki wanted to be an effective piece of arm candy, it would be best to join in. Well, Jarvis hadn't put it quite like that, but Loki could translate well enough.

Breakfast went on, and Loki changed into something more comfortable before setting the kids to packing their things and heading out to the hospital. Loki was sure that by the time he finished with Alal that the apartment would be mostly packed up. Even his few things would probably be ready to move. He had asked Peter to make sure of it, and the boy was nothing if not dependable.

Around ten o clock in the morning, Loki was pulling his clothes back on while the Doctor reclined on the couch in his office. "I'll see you next time next month, I imagine?" Alal asked as Loki zipped the fly of his tight leather pants.

"Unless May recovers by then," Loki said gathering up the torn up shirt that he'd worn over a sheer one. He didn't particularly like the idea of Alal knowing that Loki was now attending respectable events as a paid escort so he'd carefully dressed in his old street walking garb. Alal was already proving to be exploitative, and Loki didn't need to give the man more ammo to use. May's continued life was more than enough to deal with.

"Come now, Loki," Alal said as he pushed himself upright. "Surely you, at least, understand the odds of the woman waking up? Her nephew, I can understand holding onto hope, but you're much more of a realist than that."

Loki glanced over his shoulder at Alal. "The human spirit can come back from some pretty remarkable things, Victor," Loki said. "I would be a fool to discount that entirely."

Alal hummed and reached to the side for a glass of something Loki wasn't entirely convinced was water but hadn't tried himself. "I suppose you have some sort of a point. But still, even if she does recover from her coma, she's been in one so long now that she will most likely be disabled in some way. That's not even considering the accident that put her in her current state," Alal said.

"Peter isn't giving up on her," Loki said. "And neither will I. And even if she is disabled when she wakes up, what of it? This isn't the stone ages where a disability is a death sentence. There are ways to deal with nearly anything she could wake up suffering from."

"Mm, this is the Hela thing all over again, isn't it?" Alal asked.

Loki glared. "Don't you bring her into this. She does not _need_ plastic surgery, she's beautiful even with her scars. And if she wants it when she's older, then _you_ aren't even a plastic surgeon, so I don't know why you seem to think you'd have any say in it at all," Loki said as he grabbed his long coat and jammed his arm through it. 

"Nearly forty percent of her body is scarred, Loki," Alal said as if Loki was somehow unaware of that fact. "It's not exactly pleasant growing up with physical defects like that."

"You are only interested in 'fixing' Hela's scars because you think it'll get you more of a debt with me," Loki said. "You're not as slick as you think you are."

"I am, in fact, capable of kind actions," Alal said. "I was just trying to be considerate, and your accusations are hurtful, Loki."

Loki scoffed and adjusted how his coat was lying on his shoulders. "I'm sure you're very broken up about it. Now, I have to get going. Just make sure that May's bills are taken care of," he said. Alal agreed, and Loki left the office in a mood even less pleased than when he arrived -and he hadn't been particularly happy then either. He tried to look forward to seeing the kids and spending someone else's money for expensive clothes he'd always wanted and never been able to afford, but even that couldn't cheer Loki up entirely.

Loki took a back way out of the hospital so that nobody would notice that he'd spent a bit over an hour in Alal's office for seemingly no reason. If anyone at the hospital found out about their arrangement, they would no doubt fire Alal, and then Loki would have no means of paying for May's continued care. Loki hoped that May recovered quickly even if in the back of his mind he had to admit he was beginning to fear Dr. Victor Alal might be right about her chances.


	28. Chapter 28

Loki decided taking the kids through the garage entrance would be the better option of going back to the tower. He didn't know if anyone had thought to tell the front desk that he was bringing in a bunch of kids into the tower and Loki, while not usually particularly concerned with being stared at, didn't want that for the kids. Especially Hela who was often hyper-aware of staring due to her scars and Jormungundr who was so reserved. Plus the twins seemed keyed up, and Loki thought they'd appreciate avoiding being noticed.

Loki had Hela on his hip while Natasha held Jormungundr and Fenris' hands on their trip across the street to Stark Tower. Loki didn't really anticipate any trouble -the kids had always been well-behaved on the whole- but he was glad for Natasha being there. Wanda, Pietro, and Peter were all three of them carrying the luggage stuffed with what their makeshift family would need for two weeks.

Inside the elevator, Loki asked Jarvis to take them to the guest rooms that Tony had set up. "Of course, sir."

Hela's eyes went wide, and the kids looked around. Wanda frowned and Pietro jumped a little. "What was that?" Sleipnir asked as he shifted closer to Loki's side.

"I am Jarvis. I am an artificial intelligence in charge of the mainframe and internal systems of Stark Tower as well as the day to day running such as maintenance and security protocols," Jarvis said. "If you require anything during your stay, feel free to ask."

"Wow," Peter said in awe. "I read about AI but I didn't think they'd managed to make one so advanced. Are you wired through the whole tower?"

Loki smiled and rubbed Hela's back as she shifted closer to him so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. "I am," Jarvis said. "As well as remotely connected to Mr. Stark's various other facilities around the world in some capacity or another."

Peter's eyes went even rounder. "Wow," he said again.

"Oh great," Sleipnir said. "Now he's going to be rambling about processing power and solid state drives and stuff for ages..."

"It's _interesting_ , Sleip," Peter said firmly.

"Boys," Loki said. "It's hardly something to get worked up about."

"Loki..."

"Yes, Hela baby?"

Hela glanced up at the ceiling of the elevator uneasily. "Is that a ghost like in that show?"

"No, Hela," Pietro said. "I told you ghosts aren't real."

"Ghosts _are_ real!" Hela insisted. Loki almost sighed. Hela and Pietro had been arguing about the existence of ghosts off and on for around a week. From what Loki could tell it came from watching Casper or something of that nature. No matter what anyone said, Hela was firmly in the camp of ghosts being real. Not even Loki had been able to change her mind.

"Shh, it's alright. Jarvis isn't a ghost, Hela. He's a computer," Loki explained. "Only much bigger."

"Actually-"

"Please, don't start ranting about technicalities," Wanda said before Peter could build up any steam.

The elevator doors opened, and Loki led the way out into what looked to be a large living area much like the penthouse up above. There was even a kitchen in approximately the same spot although it didn't have quite the same level of finishes as Tony's upstairs did. There was no touch screen on this refrigerator, for instance. Nor did it look like it had as many appliances. The lights throughout the space were the long halogen fixtures that were so common in stores and offices, and Loki figured that they were remains of what the floor had been initially used for.

The wall across the back that had four doors along its length had large windows in it, left over from when the rooms beyond were offices Loki was willing to bet. There were thick curtains on the other side of the windows, and the nearest door was open enough that Loki could see a bed in the first room. The room itself, when Loki went over to look in, was pretty bland but it had two beds and two basic dressers. Considering Loki was sure the place had been an office just yesterday rather than a bedroom, he figured it looked halfway decent. For a few weeks, it would undoubtedly do just fine.

Natasha helped situate the kids in the three office turned bedrooms and unpack the few things that had been brought. The bathroom for the floor was also typical of an office with multiple sinks and toilets. Although the handicap bathroom, which was entirely separate, did have a shower stall in it. Loki wasn't sure if that was a new thing that Tony had put in or not but he was glad that there was something beyond sinks on the floor.

With so little time to convert the space Loki thought the whole thing quite impressive. A quick glance into the kitchen even told Loki that the pantry had been filled with food. "Not the homiest of places, but we've been worse," Natasha commented as Sleipnir and Peter helped the three youngest kids change where the beds had been placed in the largest corner room. The beds had been spread out and Hela wanted to be next to both her brothers instead.

"We have," Loki agreed. "Everyone has a bed here, and they aren't even all crammed into one room." Even the apartment Shield set up for them was somewhat cramped. There just weren't many apartments or condos with room enough for eight people no matter how one sliced it. Although the Shield apartment had been a significant step up from Loki's place that burned -it had two bedrooms opposed to just one.

Wanda and Pietro looked incredibly uncomfortable as they pushed their beds together and into the corner of the room they'd claimed. Loki made sure that the other kids were occupied before heading into the twins' room. "Thank you both again for helping me with this," Loki said. "I appreciate what you're doing."

The twins exchanged a look -one that Loki always associated with them silently communicating, however it was they managed to do that. "You saved my life," Pietro said after a moment. "The least we can do is babysit for you."

Loki frowned slightly. "I didn't do that to get a pair of babysitters. I wasn't going to let anyone bleed to death in a shipping container." Especially not a kid, Loki thought, although he knew better than to say that out loud. The twins, from what Loki could tell, didn't really consider themselves to be kids even though they were still teens. "Anyway. I have to run out to get something to wear for tonight's event. Can you make sure everything here goes smooth?"

"Of course," Wanda agreed.

"I'll ask Natasha to stay too since things are still so new," Loki said. Really, Loki would rather wait a few days to make sure that the kids were settled before he went out but there just wasn't the time to do that.

The twins nodded in agreement and Loki went to go tell the others he was going out to run an errand. Natasha was plenty willing to spend a few hours looking after the kids so Loki double checked that his worn thin wallet had Tony's credit card in it and headed back out. He wanted to make this a quick trip with as little fuss as possible so he could get back and spend some time with his little miscreants before he had to go out to dinner as Tony's arm candy.

Loki already knew what store he was going to. He had seen the tag in a few of his latest client's suits and had liked the quality he'd seen. Loki, despite never having money for a finely tailored suit before, had always loved the look of them. He could remember that as a child, before everything had gone wrong, that he and Thor would be forced to dress up in suits from time to time and how Thor had hated it far more than Loki had. Loki had only hated when Thor would get them both dirty with his carelessness. Suits created a striking and powerful image in Loki's mind. Whenever Loki thought of his adopted father, Odin, the man always came to mind in a crisp grey suit with a golden shirt and blood red tie -slightly garish but Odin still managed to pull it off, Loki had thought. Then again, as a child, Loki had practically worshiped Odin so that probably affected his memory of how good it looked.

Loki knew already that there wasn't enough time for _any_ shop to rush order an actually tailored suit but any high priced boutique should be able to work out something for him, he was sure. Even if it was just tacking the fabric in place for the night. Loki was okay with that so long as it didn't _look_ like it was just tacked in place. He would get the suit appropriately tailored when he had a little more time.

The high-end boutique had several slim mannequins in perfectly tailored suits of all colors with different styles standing in the window. One mannequin even had on a tuxedo with tails, though Loki couldn't imagine many people would ever need such a thing. When the door opened, an electronic chime went out over the very soft jazzy music in the background.

Instantly, Loki was hit with the distinct fragrance of the store. Leather and starch and something else that just made Loki think _money_. Loki was also instantly the center of attention with more than a single pair of eyes on him. He ignored the stares as best he could although he was very suddenly wishing he had thought to change back into the one suit he did already have even though it wasn't nearly as high end as these. Loki was overly aware of the way his pants clung to his every line and how the layered tattered shirts he had on didn't even cover up all of his tattoos. 

Loki refused to let his discomfort show and wandered the different areas where the suits were displayed in groups of three mannequins. One pure black suit caught Loki's attention as soon as he walked in because he was always a sucker for that look. Loki reached out and touched the sleeve gingerly. The fabric was not something that Loki recognized. The suit he had already bought didn't feel that nice even though Loki had shelled out a relatively large amount of money for it. Most of that suit's cost had been in the rush order and the tailoring fees not the actual quality of the materials.

"Excuse me?"

Loki was a little startled to be addressed but covered it and looked over to see a man standing there with a displeased cast to his face. His eyes scanned Loki's appearance but not in the way Loki recognized as lustful. It was far too disapproving for that. The suit he was wearing was a pale blue-grey, which, while high quality, only served to wash his complexion out nearly entirely. His thinning sandy colored hair was carefully pulled into a wavy style that had the unpleasant hard clumped appearance of having used too much gel. "Can I help you?" the man asked in a tone of voice that made it clear he didn't really want to be so much as talking to Loki.

"Ah, yeah, I need a suit," Loki said.

The man hummed, and his eyes went down Loki again. Loki felt his cheeks burn a little but did his best to not show he'd noticed. "I see." The salesman cleared his throat and shifted his weight slightly in front of the mannequin as if protecting it from Loki or something. "Well, while we have a great many fine suits I don't think you'll find much in your price range."

Loki scowled. "I wouldn't have come in at all if I didn't have money."

"Oh, I'm sure," the salesman said in the same tone as if he were talking to an idiot or a child. "But I don't think you realize the sort of high-end finishes we put on all of our products. We use only the finest materials and extremely skilled tailors."

"Yeah," Loki said in annoyance. "That was sort of the whole point of coming in here." He could tell quality when he saw it and he actually had the money to pay what a suit like what he wanted would be worth.

The salesman smiled patronizingly. "I'm just not sure you'll find anything for you here. There's another store just down the street that has a selection I think would be much more suited to you and your particular... er, style," he said with a vague gesture to the ripped shirts and leather pants Loki was currently wearing.

"You don't have any clue what my 'style' is," Loki said, trying his best to not let his temper show.

"Well, judging by what you're wearing currently, Streetwalker Chic seems appropriate," the salesman said with an unimpressed drawl. Loki felt his cheeks burn. "You certainly don't leave much to the imagination. I'm not going to waste my time letting someone like you play dress up in things that they clearly can't afford."

"Someone like me?" Loki repeated. There was a strange knot in his chest that was building up pressure and making it hard to do anything. Even thinking was harder than it should be. Normally Loki had no problem making snappy comebacks but this man's judgmental looks and patronizing attitude was not actually a combination Loki had run into before. One or the other but not both.

The salesman directed a dismissive gesture at Loki. "Well, you know. I don't want to be crude, but you're not exactly the class of people who would wear our garments."

"You're doing really well on the not being crude front," Loki said through his teeth.

"Well, if it walks like a duck..."

Loki felt his face burning hotter even though he was trying his hardest to not react. He heard murmurs under the music and glanced to the side to see some rich old bastards looking at him like he was something unpleasant on the bottom of their polished loafers. The knot in his chest twisted and Loki swallowed hard. "You had best leave," the salesman said. It was almost said kindly but still so unbearably patronizing that Loki wanted to punch the bastard. "Before I need to have you removed."

All the people in the store were looking at him and Loki felt more humiliated than at any other time in his life. He was nearly shaking with all the pent up emotion. Loki was too furious think of something suitably scathing or clever to say in reply. So, instead of humiliating himself more, Loki spun on his heel and left the shop. Part of him really wished the door didn't have one of those arms that stopped it from slamming because Loki would have definitely let it slam if he'd been able.

He should probably go to another store, but Loki had a sinking feeling that no matter what store he walked into, dressed as he was currently, he'd get the same reaction. Loki berated himself mentally for such a careless mistake as he walked down the street. He should have known better! He _did_ know better! Loki was well aware of how people saw him and yet he'd thoughtlessly walked into a store like that expecting the card in his pocket would be enough to shut them all up! Of course, it wasn't! They didn't even believe he had the money! That asshole salesman probably would have reported a stolen card if Loki had tried to use it! Stupid! 

Loki stormed back towards Stark Tower, fighting back the volcano of emotions that were threatening to break through that tight knot in his chest. Loki had been through some difficult things in his life, but he couldn't at the moment think of anything that had made him feel such a massive tangle of horrible things all at once. He knew perfectly well what he did wasn't considered respectable, but he hadn't felt particularly ashamed of it. Selling his body had kept him alive and then later, the kids. He might have disliked doing it, but Loki had disliked starving even more. 

Loki had mostly grown numb to the negative emotions that his way of making money brought up, but at moments like this, he swore he was fifteen again -homeless and desperate. Loki almost didn't realize that he had reached the garage of Stark Tower he was too busy with his own thoughts. He had no idea what he was going to do now. Dressing up in his suit would get a better reaction for certain, but he wasn't entirely sure that would be enough. Loki felt after that salesman had looked at him with such disgust that it must be entirely too obvious what he did.

Loki's eyes were burning but he patently refused to break down into tears over some stupid salesman who didn't know anything. It was hardly anything to be upset about!

"Loki?"

Loki whipped around immediately and was surprised to see the redhead from the first morning in Tony Stark's penthouse standing a few feet away by a sleek back car being loaded full of bags by Happy. "It's Loki, right?" she asked.

Loki nodded curtly. "It is."

She gave a smile that Loki didn't think looked particularly genuine but not as horribly patronizing as the man in the boutique. She came closer even though Loki was putting out his least friendly vibes. "We haven't been properly introduced yet. I'm Pepper Potts," she said. "Tony's assistant. Well, I think I've somewhat surpassed the traditional role of assistant, but really Tony needs more help than most."

"Loki Laufeyson," Loki said still fighting his emotions back into the box they had sprung out of.

Pepper's smile fell slightly. "Are you alright?"

"Of course," Loki said with the best flirtatious smile he could conjure. "Are you going somewhere?"

"Our European office," Pepper said as her eyes roamed Loki far too carefully. Loki felt himself stiffen under the scrutiny that was just too reminiscent of that horrid man in the shop. "You don't look alright."

Loki felt something snap and before he could stop himself words just came flying out of his mouth. "Well, so sorry I don't match your perfect mental image of what I should _look_ like, but when you get thrown out of clothing stores it's rather hard to elevate yourself!"

Pepper almost recoiled back a step. "Loki... I just meant you looked angry. Wait, you got thrown out of a clothing store?" she asked.

"They wouldn't deal with me at all," Loki said, folding his arms over his chest and trying to not show how upset he really was. Loki didn't usually blurt out things without thinking, and the fact that he just had would have been a dead give away for anyone who knew him well. Luckily, Pepper Potts was not one of those people.

There was an awkward silence of a few minutes. Loki wanted to extract himself from this situation but wasn't entirely sure how to go about doing that. Pepper suddenly pulled out a phone and quickly pressed several buttons. "Come with me, Loki," Pepper said before turning and going back to the car that Happy had by now finished loading.

Loki was confused but decided to not fight it. "Lawrence," Pepper said into the phone even as she gestured for Loki to get into the car. "I have a slight emergency I need your help on." Pepper listened to the other end of the phone and got in after Loki did. "No nothing like that. No, no whipped cream this time. Or char marks. Honestly, that was one time, Lawrence. I paid you double your rates to fix it, so I don't know what you're complaining about. It's not Tony this time, Lawrence!"

Loki was only getting more and more lost as he listened to half the conversation. He had no idea why he was just going along with this, but Happy was pulling the car out of the parking garage before Loki could change his mind. "Just because it isn't one of Tony's escapades doesn't mean it's not a 'real emergency' for heaven's sake," Pepper said. She cast a glance over at Loki for a moment. "What do you have in black for a tall, slender guy?"

"Who are you talking to?" Loki finally asked.

"The most amazing tailor in the world," Pepper said. "What? Of course, I call you that, Lawrence. You'd have to be to put up with the things we send your way." Pepper rolled her eyes but was smiling slightly. "Yes, I love you too. Now, we'll be by the shop in fifteen minutes. I can only drop and run because I have a flight to catch, but I know you'll do amazing work. Yes, see you then."

Pepper hung up the phone and sent Loki a smile. "I don't know what store you went to, Loki. But believe me... Lawrence's place is better anyhow. Also, you need to tell me what that store was called because I'm very unimpressed with their service if they just throw out customers. I'll have to make a note to never send anyone to their place." Loki had a feeling that wasn't all she'd do with that information and a warm feeling spread where the knot had been earlier.


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Slightly longer chapter than last one... with a surprise!

Lawrence was an older black man with a shaved bald head and just a little bit of a paunch that even his vest didn't quite disguise. His hands were a bit twisted and knobby from age but still strong when they took hold of Loki's arm and held him as if he was dressed up mannequin that he was critiquing. Loki couldn't help but be a little uncomfortable under the man's oddly pale eyes (a shade of blue-green like sea glass, Loki thought) but didn't protest. Loki figured if he was going to be dressed by this man he had to be scrutinized by him, even though it was an awkwardly piercing sensation. 

Lawrence huffed a little and dropped Loki's arm. "You should be modeling," Lawrence grumbled. Loki detected the hint of an accent, but it was underneath years of living in New York and a bit hard to identify. Not at all helping matters, that what Lawrence said was ostensibly a compliment, but he didn't say it as if it was one. "Come, come, we'll get your skinny ass in something stunning."

Loki couldn't entirely stop his lips from twitching. The old man was amusing in his frankness. Loki found his attitude refreshing. Especially compared to the snooty salesman in the first shop that Loki had gone to. "Now, since Pepper said you needed this for tonight we won't be able to actually tailor it like we should," Lawrence said as he manhandled Loki into a spacious dressing room filled with mirrors and up onto a small stage in the center.

"I figured," Loki said. 

"We can tack it all in place, of course, but that means you have to be _careful_ with it," Lawrence said with a sternness that Loki didn't think he'd quite deserved to get yet. Loki didn't have the opportunity to say anything in his own defense as Lawrence whipped out a tape measure and wrapped it around Loki's waist. "I know how roughly Mr. Stark treats my suits. And if I'm going to go to all the trouble of making you look fantastic, I don't want all my hard work ruined. So. No whipped cream, or stunts involving fire, or deciding to tune up an engine for no reason, or bleeding. I especially don't like it when you bleed in my suits."

"Bleeding?" Loki repeated. "Just what do you think I'm going to be doing that would cause me to bleed?"

Lawrence snorted. "I'm sure I have no idea," he said as he flipped the tape measure to go down Loki's leg. "I've learned it's much better for my sanity to not bother asking."

"Well, don't worry. I won't be doing anything crazy in a suit," Loki said.

"Good, then we'll get along," Lawrence said. Lawrence looked at the measurement he just took and scoffed. "Disgusting. You are going to have to model for me," he said firmly. "Nobody should have legs this long."

Loki snorted a little. "Thank you?"

"You need to eat a doughnut, for goodness sake," Lawrence said as if Loki hadn't spoken at all. "Worse than my apprentice, and I didn't think that possible. Good God, how is this your inseam?" 

Since Lawrence didn't seem to be paying Loki much attention at all and was just ranting to himself about the measurements and how Loki needed to eat all manner of junk food and also model for him, Loki decided to just stand there and let the old man work with as few comments as possible. It was oddly flattering to have Lawrence complaining about how 'nobody has these measurements' and how Loki obviously needed a burger in his diet. "And you're pale as a ghost. No wonder Pepper said black. Anything grey would make you look sick and blue probably doesn't go with whatever Tony's planning on wearing. There's not a lot of blue in his wardrobe," Lawrence said.

"I prefer black anyway," Loki said.

"Good, because that's what I'm putting you in," Lawrence said as he looked at his tape again. He grumbled something under his breath. "I think the suit on one of my displays should be close. We'll have to tack it still, but it'll do."

"I'm sure it'll look fantastic," Loki said.

"Of course it will," Lawrence said. "My suits always look fantastic."

Loki chuckled some as Lawrence folded up his tape. "I'll send my apprentice in with the suit, and then we'll get it tacked in place," he said. "Just you wait here."

"Where else am I likely to go?" Loki asked, but Lawrence was already out of the dressing room, muttering again about how Loki needed to model for him while simultaneously putting on weight. Loki was still amused by the old man and shook his head a little. Loki's long earring got caught up in some hair, and he reached up to untangle it.

The braid he'd thrown into his hair was a bit of a mess, which made sense considering Loki had slept with Alal since then and traipsed over half the city. Loki sighed and undid the thin band keeping the braid together and ran his fingers through his hair to loosen the strands. Loki shook his head a few times and then tilted his head to rebraid his hair into place.

Loki was feeling much better than he had been. He was glad that Pepper had sent him here even if she had basically kicked him out of the car with a goodbye and good luck. Loki had not been comfortable walking into another high-end clothing store still dressed in his street outfit, but he hadn't been left alone for long before Lawrence had swooped down on him.

Loki hadn't even had much time to look at the suits on display, but he had very much liked the few glimpses that he'd gotten on the way in. Loki twisted one of the rings he was wearing absently as he waited for Lawrence or his apprentice or whoever to come back. Loki wasn't sure what the event for this evening was other than some fancy dinner. He probably should have asked Tony or Pepper where the dinner was going to be, at the very least. Loki had found he liked knowing at least a few details about where he was going, despite having no reason to not trust Tony or Pepper.

After another few minutes, the door opened, and a blonde man with a neatly trimmed goatee came in with a bunch of black fabric over his arm. He was wearing a very trendy grey suit with darker grey pinstripes and had a bright blue tie matched to his eyes and pocket square. "Ah, hello there," the man said with a smile. "The name's Fandral."

Loki felt the smile he'd been halfway through giving to accompany his own greeting freeze in place. Fandral was a rather unusual name, and Loki had only in his life met one person with it. Although what in all hell his brother's friend was doing here of all places, Loki couldn't begin to fathom. Unless this was that one other person in the world that happened to have that strange name. Best not risk it. "Luke," Loki said. It was far from the most original name he could have picked, but Loki had been caught off guard.

"Ah, well, a pleasure to meet you," Fandral said. "Lawrence said that this is the closest we have to your proportions. So let's get you changed."

Loki couldn't shake his nerves although he did his best acting possible to play them off. Even when Fandral complemented his tattoos and tried his best to not comment on the fact that Loki hadn't been wearing underwear, Loki couldn't relax or find even a little humor in the situation. Things were far too precarious for that.

Fandral had brought in a couple different shirts and ties to try with the pure black suit, but they hadn't gotten past the first crisp white one before he was frowning slightly. "You know... I can't shake this feeling like we've met before..." Fandral said as he helped Loki into the jacket of the suit. "Have you ever been to Norway?"

Loki felt his heart thud hard against the inside of his rib cage. "Norway?" he repeated. "No." Loki wasn't about to admit to being from where his family still lived.

Fandral's frown deepened. "Huh, I wonder why I feel like I know you from somewhere," Fandral mused as he straightened out how the shoulders laid across Loki's shoulders.

"Couldn't say," Loki said.

Lawrence came in as Fandral continued to fuss with how the jacket sat on Loki's body. "Ah, fantastic," Lawrence said. "Although I wonder if the shirt is a little too high contrast," he mused.

"I brought some others," Fandral said. "I wasn't sure what would look best. He's so pale after all."

"He's right here," Loki muttered.

"Ah, yes, but you really are too pale," Lawrence said. "You should go out to the beach more. Eat some funnel cake."

Loki frowned. "I only burn at the beach."

"Pity," Lawrence said. "Well, let's get this suit tacked and then we can ponder colors. Because I think you're right about the white, Fandral."

Loki remained quiet as Fandral and Lawrence went over every seam of the suit until it was fitted to Loki perfectly. The two tailors bantered a bit, but it all seemed to be in good fun despite Lawrence's occasional grumble about things that should be good. Loki was tense during the entire fitting, not knowing if Fandral would ever realize why Loki seemed familiar.

"Alright, let's test out a few different shirts here," Lawrence said. "But it's going to be hard with how pale you are."

"I will go to the beach and stuff my face with burgers, fries, and milkshakes," Loki said as dryly as physically possible.

"You should. It'd be good for you," Lawrence said.

Loki rolled his eyes and just shrugged out of the white shirt to change into a blue one. Lawrence ended up making Loki change shirts about five times and sent Fandral out to get a couple other options midway through the process. Finally, though, Lawrence settled on a shimmering black shirt that had the faintest pinstripes down the fabric in a golden thread. Just the shirt itself was probably more than Loki would have been willing to spend. Luckily, it wasn't his money he was spending.

"Alright," Lawrence said as Loki carefully got out of the suit filled with straight pins. "Fandral and I should be able to finish this up in a few hours. Then I'll have Fandral drop it off. It won't be the first time we've delivered to Stark Tower."

"Fantastic, thank you," Loki said. Fandral took the suit carefully in his arms again and then left the room. 

"You really should model for me," Lawrence said. "If you're going to be a bunch of pale twigs, you might as well get something out of it."

Loki chuckled. "Trust me, I get plenty off my looks," he said. 

"I'm sure," Lawrence said. "Now get dressed. I'd don't want to see your bare ass reflected back at me ten times."

"Don't look in the mirrors then," Loki said with no small amount of snark. Although he was already pulling his pants back up since he didn't exactly want to be standing around naked either.

Loki quickly got dressed and left the shop. He was glad that he got out of there without running into Fandral again. That was a complication he just did not need. Bad enough Loki had made the mistake of giving into sentiment and calling Thor. What even was Fandral doing in New York, Loki wondered again. Well, working at a high-end men's clothing store, obviously. But _why_?

Fandral was a trust fund kid just like Thor and all the rest of the social circle that Loki still remembered. If Fandral had gotten into men's fashion, Loki would have expected to see him opening his own boutique or starting his own line. Not apprenticing in someone else's shop. Then again, Fandral hadn't seemed the most ambitious one of Thor's school friends, so maybe he was just coasting through life? That was certainly possible.

Loki put Fandral out of his mind. Once he dropped off the suit, Loki was hopefully in the clear. Sure, he would still need other things, but maybe Loki could talk to Lawrence and ask Fandral not be involved in those appointments. It wouldn't be an outlandish request Loki didn't think. Loki was fairly sure rich people asked for things like that all the time.

When Loki finally returned to the apartment from shopping, it was nearing one in the afternoon. Natasha was napping on the couch with Hela curled up snuggled up to her side. Loki quickly took a picture of the scene before waking Natasha and telling her that she could head back to her own apartment. Since Wanda was cooking what seemed to be some type of grilled cheese for an eager looking Fenris, Natasha decided to stay for lunch instead.

By the time an entire stack of sandwiches had been made, the other kids had wandered over to the table. "These rooms are a lot bigger than the other ones," Sleipnir said as he munched away on some apple slices that Loki had prepared while Wanda made the sandwiches.

"Yeah, well, don't get too used to it," Loki warned as he slid a glass of milk over in front of Hela and a less happy looking Fenris. "Chances are that the house me and Auntie Tasha get won't have rooms this big either."

"Auntie Tasha, when we live together can you take more naps with me?" Hela asked. "I slept really good like that."

Natasha looked mildly surprised but then Loki saw her expression come very close to crumbling. "Of course, sweetheart..."

Loki suppressed his urge to smile. Hela kicked her feet back and forth under her chair as she pulled apart her sandwich so that the melted cheese came out from between the bread. "Uh huh, it was almost like having my nap with Loki. But you're even warmer."

"That's because Nat has more soft bits," Loki said. Natasha rolled her eyes and passed a napkin to Pietro who had somehow already finished but had a glob of cheese on the corner of his mouth. Pietro seemed confused until Wanda told him something in Romani, probably something along the lines of 'wipe your mouth' because he did so quickly and with a little bit of a blush.

"You shouldn't eat so fast," Sleipnir said. "That's supposed to be bad for you."

"I've always eaten fast," Pietro said as he reached for the can in front of him.

Loki scowled at the energy drink. "I don't think you really need that much caffeine and sugar, Pietro," Loki said. That must have already been in the apartment fridge because Loki certainly hadn't spent money on it.

"I tell him that all the time," Wanda said with exasperation.

"I like them," Pietro answered with a slight touch of defensiveness.

Just then Peter's phone went off. Jormungundr snitched a few slices of apple off of Sleipnir's plate and stuffed them in his mouth almost in the same motion. "Jory, you're going to choke," Loki said. "I'm sure Sleipnir would share if you just asked. In fact, just ask and I'll cut you up your own."

Jormungundr took several minutes to chew since he'd stuffed his mouth so full. "Loki?" Peter asked.

"Yes?" Loki asked as he got up to refill his glass.

"Can I go out tomorrow?" 

"Go out where?"

"... Wade wants to take me somewhere," Peter said hesitantly.

Loki's first instinct was to say absolutely not but held off long enough to at least consider it. "Where does he want to take you?" Loki asked.

"Um... hold on," Peter said before starting to furiously hit the keys of his phone.

Jormungundr had finally swallowed all of the apple. "Can I have some more apple?" he asked although his voice sounded a little strained.

"Yes, but drink some water or something while I cut it up," Loki said as he reached for another bright red apple. "You sound like you didn't chew as much as you should have." Jormungundr didn't bother arguing and just reached for his glass.

"Wade says it's supposed to be a surprise," Peter said.

"Well then, no," Loki said as he selected a knife. "If he wants to take you somewhere he has to at least tell me where you're going. He can text me if he wants but I'm not budging, so don't even bother." Peter made a face but started texting Wade again.

Natasha chuckled a little. "Like I said. Overprotective Daddy."

"Hush up, Tasha," Loki said without too much actual venom. Natasha just laughed again.

With so many mouths to feed it didn't take long for lunch to be decimated. Natasha finally headed back across the street although Loki noticed her and Wanda had a little chat off to the side for a few minutes before she left. Loki was curious about it but figured it was probably something he didn't want to stick his nose in. Plus, it was probably good for Wanda to have an older female figure around and to be friendly with.

After lunch, Jormungundr read a story to Hela while Peter helped Sleipnir with his math homework. Loki didn't recognize the book that Jory was reading out of and Fenris told him that they had gone to the library a little while ago. Loki was a little annoyed that they hadn't told him but was glad that they'd at least gone somewhere like the library and not the strip mall to cause trouble. Wanda and Pietro would occasionally glace at the work Peter was helping Sleipnir with. 

Loki wondered when the last time the twins went to school was and if there was any point in perhaps encouraging them to try for a GED. They probably wouldn't go for it though, Loki realized. For the very same reasons he didn't. Loki was sure that all three of them were living in the states very much illegally. 

Still, Loki was glad that all the kids seemed to be getting along so well. He had never really entirely stopped being nervous about all of them living under the same roof. Loki hadn't ever regretted opening up his home to the twins or anything like that, but he had been aware of how difficult it would be. Loki was glad he'd been proven wrong in this case and everything was going as smoothly as could be expected.

Jarvis had told Loki that he would be picked up by Tony at about six thirty so as the clock crept closer to five, Loki began to worry slightly. Loki was browning up some ground beef in a large skillet so that Wanda could use it to make something for the Kid's dinner if she wanted. Or they could order in, Loki didn't mind either way. But as he was draining the grease out of the pan, Jarvis chimed to get his attention. "Yes, Jarvis?"

"Your suit has arrived, sir. Shall I direct it here or to Mr. Stark's floor?"

Loki instantly disliked the idea of anyone coming to the floor the kids was on. Plus, if it was going to be Fandral, Loki didn't want one of the younger children accidentally calling for him and letting out his real name. "I'll go up to the penthouse and meet the delivery there," Loki said as he turned off the stove.

"Very good, sir."

"Wanda, Pietro, the meat is cooked. If you don't want to do anything with it, just put it in a container so I can use it for something later on," Loki called so that the twins, who were in their room, could easily hear him. "I'm going upstairs for a bit."

"What's upstairs?" Hela asked from where she was coloring in one of her books.

Loki washed off his hands in the sink. "Nothing you need to worry about, Hela baby," he said. "I'll be back down before I go out to dinner to check on you all, alright?" Hela nodded even though she seemed much more consumed with looking for a specific crayon in her jumbled box full of about three different sets of crayons.

There was an emergency stairwell at the end of the main hall of the floor that Loki took up to the penthouse. It was probably on the whole faster than waiting for the elevator to go up and down the eighty-five floors of Stark Tower.

When Loki walked into the penthouse, Fandral was already standing in front of the elevator. Loki was definitely glad he'd decided to meet with the man up here. "Sorry, about that. I was on another floor," Loki said as he crossed the room. Fandral turned then, the garment bag he was holding still slung over one shoulder.

Loki felt an immense wave of trepidation when he saw the look that Fandral was leveling him. There was definitely anger there, and Loki's heart sunk. What was this now? "You know... the problem with giving me a fake name _Luke_ is I see your real one on the goddamn delivery ticket," Fandral hissed.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Loki said injecting as much innocence and confusion as possible into his voice.

Fandral's eyes seemed to flash. He reached up to the little tag at the top of the hanger and ripped it off of its flimsy string. "Loki Laufeyson. Fuckin' really, Loki?! You can't even come up with a better name than 'Luke?' Everyone thought Thor was _crazy_ when he said his dead baby brother called him on the phone! Crazy or drunk!"

Loki felt his own temper rise up to meet Fandral's instantly. "Well, at least now he knows what it feels like to not be believed!" Loki said venomously.

"How are you even _here_?" Fandral demanded as he tossed the garment bag over the back of Tony's couch. "You jumped off a goddamn bridge!"

"It wasn't through any deliberate intention to survive the drop, I assure you!" Loki snapped back. He had spent over a month slowly recovering from the impact and near-drowning of jumping off the bridge and by that time he had been declared dead even without a body. Loki still remembered how odd it had felt seeing his own face on the papers as the 'tragic heir' that committed suicide so young. "And what was I supposed to do? Go back?"

Fandral was still glaring but took a few deep breaths. "Do you even realize what you did to your family? Jumping off that bridge... it destroyed them," Fandral said.

Loki felt something wrench in his chest but ignored it. Loki normally avoided any and all mention of his family, because it was easier than sitting around thinking about them all day, so he hadn't followed the aftermath of his decisions. To hide how the words Fandral spat out had hurt, Loki scoffed. "You give me too much credit, Fandral. Things were already destroyed long before France."

There was an awkward silence and Loki thought as if Fandral might be trying to work out how to argue Loki's statement. After a minute, he seemed to give up and took a deep breath. The extra air didn't appear to calm him that much, but Fandral did decide to move away from that topic. "You still haven't answered how the hell you ended up in New York," Fandral said.

"I swam," Loki said sarcastically. "Have you gone running to Thor like the good little follower you are?"

"Haven't had a chance," Fandral said through gritted teeth. "I didn't noticed the name on the tag until I was downstairs in the lobby and had to give a name to the lady at reception. She -oddly enough- had no record of a Luke anyone in the building!"

Loki almost winced. So his false name plan hadn't been well thought out, but he had panicked. "I don't know what you're expecting, Fandral. I'm not sorry."

"No, you wouldn't be would you?" Fandral asked.

Immediately, Loki felt less bad about having remained hidden and lying. Just like when Loki was a child, his side of things didn't much matter to anyone it didn't seem. "Let me explain things to you, Fandral," Loki said as he walked closer to where the blonde was standing. There must have been something in Loki's tone because Fandral looked less confident and angry than he had before. "I have not exactly been the most law abiding of citizens for all these years. If you tell Thor or Odin... or Frigga, that we've had these little encounters, I will cut open your belly and let all your intestines spill out onto the floor. Like a blonde, slaughtered pig."

Loki could see in Fandral's eyes the instinct to draw back and the blonde even made an aborted movement as if he were about to take a step away. "You wouldn't do that," Fandral said.

Loki smiled, but it wasn't a friendly or even a kind expression. "Fandral... the last time you knew me I was a spindly little ten year old that nobody wanted to tag along. In case you haven't noticed... some things have changed. I've done some _very_ unpleasant things, and I am not above doing the same or worse to you."

Fandral did step back this time. "... you're crazy."

"If I am," Loki said, unperturbed by the accusation, "Then it seems to me even more reason to take my threat seriously, Fandral. I had a moment of weakness calling Thor. I admit that. But, I don't suggest you make things worse by telling anyone the name you read on that ticket. It would be healthiest for you, if I were just yet another customer."

Fandral didn't seem to have a reply and, after a moment, Loki reached out to pick up the garment bag that had his suit in it. "Now, if you don't mind. I have things to do before tonight," Loki said as he turned to go towards the bedroom and bathroom.

"She still goes to France every year," Fandral said suddenly. Loki couldn't quite control the urge to look back. "Frigga. She goes every year as if she'll just see you on a street corner or something."

The insides of Loki's chest twisted into painful knots. The one thing he regretted most had always been how he must have hurt his mother, but he also couldn't stand the situation before he jumped off the bridge. "... it's my fault for her being unreasonable?" Loki managed to ask. Loki thought his voice sounded a little strangled but tried his best to muscle past. "No doubt everyone has told her it's useless."

"She believed you were alive," Fandral said. "Seems like she was right to me."

"No," Loki said softly. "She wasn't. Now, get out before I have to call security."

Fandral glared some more with his lips pursed tightly. "You've grown up to be a real asshole, Loki."

"I'm so very hurt you disapprove," Loki said sarcastically. "Now run along. And remember to keep your mouth shut." Fandral lingered angrily for another few moments before turning and leaving the penthouse in a huff. Loki couldn't help but worry that Fandral would call Thor or Frigga or someone anyway, but there wasn't much that Loki could do to stop him. He didn't particularly _want_ to murder Fandral.

As Loki made his way towards the bathroom to take a shower, another possible problem occurred to him that might be caused by what just happened. Loki glanced up at the ceiling. "... Jarvis?"

"Yes, sir?"

"I don't suppose there's any way to convince you to not share what just happened with anyone is there?" Loki asked. Loki very much didn't want anyone finding out about all of that.

There was a pause that was slightly worrying. Then, "So long as it does not violate my protocols ensuring Mr. Stark's health and safety, I am not required to divulge the contents of personal conversations, Loki."

Loki felt some of the tension leave his shoulders. "And this wouldn't violate those protocols." Loki wanted it stated explicitly and not just implied.

"No. From what I have concluded, it would not," Jarvis agreed. "Although, if I may be so bold... it may go some way in relieving much of the tension caused by nobody knowing of your personal history."

"That may be, but as you said, it's my personal history. Not something anyone else needs to be concerned with," Loki said as he shed his shirts on the way into the bathroom. "Now, I need to get ready."

"Of course, sir."

Loki was still worried about the situation but he was fairly sure that, if nothing else, he could trust Jarvis to keep his word. Fandral was still an entirely other story and Loki would have to come up with some way of countering that possible disaster.


End file.
